Sepsis: Merthyr campaigner killed herself after amputations

Jayne Carpenter developed sepsis in 2016 after going to the GP with a cough

A nurse killed herself after having "life-changing" multiple amputations following sepsis, an inquest has heard.

Jayne Carpenter, 53, was found dead by her husband at their home in Merthyr Tydfil in December 2020.

She suffered depression and chronic pain after the amputation of her legs, left arm and four fingers on her right hand, the hearing was told.

A coroner concluded Mrs Carpenter "died by self ligature in circumstances where her intention could not be discerned".

Ms Carpenter, who became a sepsis campaigner after her amputations, was described as "an amazing person", by her husband Robert Carpenter.

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In a witness statement read out at Merthyr Tydfil Coroner's Court, he said she was "happy, bubbly, sociable person" who had a passion for "travelling around the world" when they first met.

The former nurse practitioner was hoping to raise more than £250,000 to help her undergo pioneering surgery.

In 2016, she developed sepsis after going to the doctor with a cough.

In hospital, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis and spent two months in a coma.

Jayne Carpenter's experiences as a sepsis patient were used to "assist the education of medical students"

After her amputations, Mr Carpenter said his wife "put all her effort into regaining her life" and "she amazed us as a family".

He said that, as a sepsis awareness advocate, her experiences were used to "assist the education of medical students".

But, in November 2019, he noticed "a sudden decline" in Mrs Carpenter's mental health and she began drinking more alcohol, he said.

The inquest heard that, on two separate occasions, Mrs Carpenter took an overdose and the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic stopped her from enjoying the things that were important to her.

On the day she died, tests showed she had drunk "a large quantity of alcohol" but police did not find a note stating her intention to take her own life.

Assistant Coroner for South Wales Central, Dr Sarah-Jane Richards, said "undoubtedly, her loss of limbs inflicted a life-changing loss to this previously healthy and active woman".

She added that her death was "in the context of traumatic, life-changing events having challenged her desire to live".