A WOMAN'S medical notes were not recorded properly at Barnsley Hospital before she bled to death - just 14 hours after routine back surgery.
Andrea Green, 42, of Newman Avenue, Carlton, died in March 2010 following the surgery during which the wrong disc was operated on and a artery was damaged.
The court heard how some observations should have been done every 15 minutes as Miss Green was recovering from the operation, and how a nurse carried out observations, but did not record them.
Former assistant director of nursing Rachel Cooper said it was 'good practice' to record such notes and that staff are trained to do so.
She said she would have expected a drop in Miss Green's blood pressure during surgery and some cause of indication to be noted.
Other observations carried out hourly after the operation were also not recorded.
The last observations of Miss Green were done at 10.40pm, and Ms Cooper told assistant coroner Siobhan Kelly how handovers should include information including drug charts, issues or observations, the stability of the patient and any surgical or clinical instructions.
An investigation by the hospital into the death of Miss Green, which Ms Cooper contributed towards, made recommendations for the improvement of notekeeping.
The report contained information about the error made by Mr Aly Ismaiel, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed the surgery, the artery damage, and the fact that vital information such as Miss Green's blood pressure drop, raised heart rate and haemoglobin levels were not passed on.
A total of 21 recommendations were made, mainly to do with completing necessary documentation, and Ms Cooper said steps had been taken to make sure observations were recorded and noted.
The inquest continues.
