An East Ham pensioner’s death is to be investigated by a coroner amid concerns he may have received inadequate hospital treatment.
David Sandground, 80, of Clements Road, died at Newham Hospital after suffering an aneurysm.
His medical cause of death was haemorrhagic shock – meaning significant blood loss – caused by a ruptured iliac artery aneurysm.
An iliac artery aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery in the pelvis, which carries blood away from the heart.
The bulge can grow and potentially burst, causing blood to leak out into the body instead of being pumped around and carrying oxygen.
Mr Sandground was admitted to Newham Hospital after three days of intermittent abdominal pain and nausea, assistant coroner Ian Wade KC told East London Coroner’s Court.
Opening an inquest into Mr Sandground’s death on Friday, May 23, he said Mr Sandground’s death was “ostensibly one of natural causes”.
“Ordinarily, the coroner doesn’t investigate natural death and does not need to conduct an inquest,” he said.
“However, where there are some indications that perhaps the death could have been avoided and prevented, it introduces an element of being unnatural into the story, and in those circumstances the coroner does need to investigate.”
He said Mr Sandground had died from an aneurysm which was “already being investigated”.
“An aneurysm can be reasonably manageable and not a problem until it gets to a certain size,” Mr Wade said, at which point surgery would be needed.
But in the case of Mr Sandground, there was a suggestion that “this particular aneurysm was not appropriately monitored”.
An inquest has therefore been scheduled for November 12, to investigate whether his death “could have been avoided or prevented by reasonable and appropriate medical procedures”.
Expressing his sympathies to Mr Sandground’s wife Carole, he said: “Eighty years old is not as old as it once was.”
Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs Newham Hospital, said: "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr Sandground. We are committed to supporting the coroner's investigation and will assist with any enquiries the court may have."
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