Tunbridge Wells caesarean death medic 'ignored advice'

Frances Cappuccini died at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in October 2012

An anaesthetist ignored two senior medics who told him how to help a woman struggling to breathe after surgery, a court has heard.

Two specialists told Dr Nadeem Azeez to alter his treatment of Frances Cappuccini, 30, who died after having a Caesarean on 9 October 2012.

Dr Errol Cornish denies manslaughter. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust denies corporate manslaughter.

Dr Azeez is not on trial, having left the country.

Inner London Crown Court has heard Mrs Cappuccini lost more than two litres of blood (about four pints) when her son Giacomo was born at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent.

She was operated on but never woke up and died the same day.

Anaesthetist Dr Sommerville said consultant Dr Cornish and Dr Nadeem Azeez were both with Mrs Cappuccini when he arrived at the operating theatre.

Dr Errol Cornish is accused of manslaughter by gross negligence

Dr Sommerville said Dr Azeez was "bagging" Mrs Cappuccini using a face mask and hand pump to help her breathe while Dr Cornish was sitting by her side.

He said he advised Dr Azeez to use a laryngeal mask instead, which involved placing a device in the throat, and went to change his clothes, which took two or three minutes.

The procedure had not been done when he got back.

He said he took over bagging and the laryngeal mask was inserted and that shortly after handing over to Dr Raymond Chung, a more senior anaesthetist, Mrs Cappuccini was fully intubated with a tube down her throat.

He added that his diagnosis at the time was that Mrs Cappuccini was still "partially paralysed" from general anaesthetic.

However, he said he could not remember if Dr Cornish, of Holmbury Park, Bromley was still present when he returned from changing.

'Forced to take over'

Dr Chung, a senior consultant anaesthetist, said he told Dr Azeez on the phone to intubate Mrs Cappuccini but when he arrived in the theatre 10 minutes later at about 13:30 BST found he had not done it.

He said was forced to take over - as the hospital's "man in blue" on alert to deal with serious cases - when Dr Azeez seemed to fail in an attempt at intubation.

He told the court Mrs Cappuccini's oxygen measurement failed to improve and Dr Azeez may have passed the tube into her oesophagus.

"I took the decision to remove it and put it back in myself," he said.

The prosecution has claimed if one or both doctors are found to be grossly negligent the trust can be said to have employed someone it knew or should have known was not suitably qualified or trained for their role.

It is the first time an NHS trust has been charged with corporate manslaughter since the charge was introduced in 2008.

The trial continues.