A PATIENT died two days after being released from hospital where she had undergone a routine hip replacement operation.

And an inquest heard that post-operative death from the blood clots that killed 61-year-old Margaret Delafield was a one in 400 chance.

Mrs Delafield, of Lord Street, Darwen, had undergone surgery at Wrightington Hospital, a centre of excellence for such operations.

Professor Michael Wroblewski, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Wrightington, said there were risks with any surgery. He said post-operative death from heart failure was three times more common than fatal blood clots.

Mrs Delafield's family questioned Professor Wroblewski and Mr Scott Crawford, who carried out the operation, about the post-operative treatment.

They asked whether the deep vein thrombosis that led to the blood clots could not have been treated and whether the blood clots could have been detected before they proved fatal.

The medical staff explained that when Mrs Delafield complained of chest pains an X-ray was taken and this came back clear.

Asked if he had any concerns at the time Mrs Delafield was discharged, Mr Crawford said he was happy with her condition, which had improved considerably. He said: "I am satisfied that best clinical practice was followed at the time of her discharge." Home Office pathologist Doctor William Lawler said there was evidence of minor blood clots causing damage in Mrs Delafield's lungs before the massive clot that had killed her. He said that even if the minor clotting had been treated there was no guarantee that the massive clot would not already have formed.

The inquest heard that Mrs Delafield had been plagued with pain from osteo-arthritis in both hips and had been looking forward to the relief a hip replacement operation would bring. She had booked a holiday in Germany.

Recording a verdict of misadventure, coroner Andre Rebello said that 399 out of 400 people would go through the hip replacement operation without developing deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

"I believe that almost everyone would take this chance," said Mr Rebello.

"Any invasive surgical procedure carries a risk and unfortunately this case is one where the pulmonary embolism proved fatal."

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