Woman dies weeks after hospital discharged her without scan that could have saved her

A finance director described as a "workaholic" has died just weeks after she was discharged from hospital without having a CT scan that could have saved her life, a coroner has said.

Sarah Lewis, who worked for leading construction firm Watkin Jones, tragically passed away from a brain haemorrhage at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales, on April 26 last year.

On April 9, the 55-year-old, who was previously fit and well, had visited a restaurant near her home with friends but she appeared to have a stroke, an inquest heard yesterday.

Her facial droop then recovered and she did not receive a CT scan in hospital.

Mrs Lewis was discharged from the hospital - and weeks later, she died (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

A doctor had diagnosed a resolved transient ischaemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a mini-stroke, and Mrs Lewis was discharged the same day.

However, the inquest was told she had been suffering "quite excruciating" headaches in the two weeks before.

Coroner Katie Sutherland said Mrs Lewis was re-admitted to the hospital on April 24 after becoming unresponsive at home. She then had a CT scan which showed a massive bleed and died two days later.

Recording a narrative conclusion, the coroner said Mrs Lewis died from a natural disease process, but added there was a "missed opportunity" to carry out a CT scan at the emergency department on April 9 which may have provided an earlier diagnosis allowing consideration of treatment options.

Dr Tom O'Driscoll, an emergency department consultant and clinical director at Glan Clwyd, said national guidelines were that imaging should be done after specialist assessment for a TIA.

A CT scan was justified in Mrs Lewis's case although he couldn't say whether bleeding would have been shown.

The patient did not get a CT scan, which was described by a coroner as 'a missed opportunity' (Getty Images)

Her husband Phil said: "If she had the CT scan that first time she went to A and E, I think the outcome would have been different."

Mrs Sutherland said up to 70 per cent of patients in similar situations were now having CT scans at the hospital.

"Having heard the evidence from Dr O'Driscoll, I am comfortable to some degree there has been learning, there has been change and improvement, arising out of this inquest and sadly arising as a result of Sarah's death," the coroner remarked.

She added: "This really is a truly, truly, tragic and extremely sad set of events. Sarah, bearing in mind the young age she was, had a significant amount of her life left to live."

The Mirror has contacted Glan Clwyd Hospital for comment.