Pregnant mum left in tears as she finds partner dead on the day of birth
Rebecca tried to rouse Thomas before going to the hospital for a planned Caesarean section, saying, "Wake up, it's baby day," only to find he had died after doctors had misread an abnormal heart scan.
A pregnant mother, scheduled for a planned Caesarean section, tried to wake her partner on the day of the birth but discovered he had passed away.
Thomas Gibson, 40, suffered a cardiac arrest while sleeping on the sofa after a hospital doctor “misinterpreted” a scan 11 days earlier, an inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court heard.
Rebecca Moss, from Stretford, Greater Manchester, said "wake up, it's baby day" to Mr Gibson as she attempted to perform emergency first aid, before an ambulance arrived and he was pronounced dead, Stockport Coroner's Court heard.
Ms Moss gave birth to Harper a few hours later.
She told the court Mr Gibson was sleeping on the sofa on June 7, 2023, when she woke up at about 5.15am and realised he was not breathing.
She said she called 999 and was told to get her partner onto the floor and begin chest compressions, which she did.
Ms Moss told the court: "The shock, trauma and not to mention the physical exertion of having to pull Tom off the couch and perform chest compressions at 39 weeks pregnant was overwhelming."
She described her partner as “caring, charming and funny” and said he was excited at becoming a father, spending every weekend building furniture for their baby.
She said: “We say goodnight to his picture every night before bed and she has a quilt which has been made from his favourite jumpers.
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“Tom will live on through his daughter but that doesn't change the fact that he should still be here with us today."
The inquest heard Mr Gibson attended Wythenshawe Hospital A&E on 27 May, 2023 having suffered from a severe stomach bug for about three weeks.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) was carried out and was escalated to Dr Thomas Bull by a junior doctor who recognised a potential blockage.
Dr Bull, giving evidence, said he recognised there were signs of an abnormality on the ECG but at the time he did not think it was clinically "significant" without other heart symptoms.
Mr Gibson was discharged and advised to come back if his stomach bug did not clear up. It later emerged the ECG showed signs of a "complete heart block" which can lead to sudden cardiac death.
Dr Bull told the inquest: "I can see now, in retrospect and in hindsight, there is abnormalities over and above those I could see present."
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has made a full admission of liability that it provided negligent medical care, according to lawyers for Mr Gibson's family.
Dr Matthew Thornber, a consultant at the hospital, said the condition required "nuance and experience" to diagnose. The inquest continues.
