A WOMAN was found dead with her toddler on top her after paramedics gave her the all clear.
Lauren Page Smith, 29, from Wolverhampton, was complaining of chest pains and vomiting but was not taken to hospital.
Be Bold MediaLauren Page Smith died suddenly of a heart attack on January 6, 2023[/caption]
Be Bold MediaThe 29-year-old with her daughter, who found her lying on the floor at home[/caption]
On January 6, just hours after the medics left, the youngster discovered her mum on the floor, the BBC reports.
Coroner Joanne Lees said there had been a “gross failure” by paramedics at the scene to provide her basic medical care.
She had phoned NHS 111, and an ambulance arrived to assess her condition.
The inquest at Black Country Coroner’s Court in Oldbury heard the team of paramedics carried out an electrocardiogram (ECG), which they said was normal.
An ECG checks the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity.
An extra read-out from the machine stated, “abnormal finding for a female aged 18 to 39 – ” which suggests she was having a heart attack.
A post-mortem examination found that Lauren died from a sudden heart attack following a blood clot in her lung.
Ms Lees said it was clear Lauren had been a “much-loved daughter” and “devoted mother”,
She said there was a “clear sign” of a cardiac event in progress despite paramedics reporting no concerns regarding Lauren’s readings.
She told the inquest it was likely this had affected Lauren’s decision not to attend hospital, and there had been “gross failures” in her care.
However, the coroner was unable to determine whether the mum would have survived had the ECG results been read correctly.
The inquest heard both paramedics’ training records were up to date.
Ms Lees said the mother-of-one died of a myocardial infarction after having an ECG which was abnormal and was wrongly interpreted, the BBC said.
Her symptoms were consistent with a cardiac event at the time.
She said she was also issuing a prevention of future deaths letter to the ambulance service because there appeared to be a lack of recognition for any broader training for the paramedics involved.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We have apologised and offered our sincere condolences to Lauren’s family after what must have been an extremely difficult period.
“The Trust undertook an extensive investigation into the incident and implemented several changes based on the findings.
“We will continue to do all we can to try and stop something like this ever happening again.
They added that understanding ECGs was part of training, and staff have had extra training on recognising Acute Coronary Syndrome.
They also said they would respond to the preventing future deaths order that the coroner had issued.