Children sue over mother's death

Sarah Limbrick12 April 2012

Four children whose mother died only weeks after giving birth have launched a legal battle for compensation.

The children, aged nine, eight, six and three are suing Chelsea and Westminster NHS Healthcare Trust, claiming that their mother?s death was caused by negligent care and treatment she received at the hospital.

Surgeons struggled to save Ana-Maria Chammas, 33, giving her 65 pints of blood during a five-hour operation when difficulties set in after the birth of her son Manuel by Caesarean section.

But she failed to recover consciousness and died 27 days after the baby was born at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Mrs Chammas lived with her husband Nabil, an engineering consultant, and their three other children ? Samia, Zaki and Grace ? in Kensington.

But now her husband has been forced to take the children back to his wife?s native country, Spain, so that her family can help with their upbringing.

?I want what is best for my four motherless children and I realise now that I am the only one who can provide the support they need because I am their sole parent,? he said.

?You cannot rely on a series of nannies. I need to be there at two in the morning when they are ill. Zaki is deaf and needs special help.?

The High Court writ issued on behalf of the children claims that Mrs Chammas, who had had three previous Caesarean sections and a miscarriage, would not have died had it been recognised she had a life-threatening condition called Placenta Accreta, a complication of multiple Caesarean sections leading to attachment of the baby?s life support system to the old scar tissue in the abdomen.

She was admitted to the hospital on 4 April 1999 with bleeding from her placenta, and remained in hospital until the birth.

On 14 June, she started to bleed heavily and was rushed into theatre. Baby Manuel was delivered safe and well in the early hours of the morning but Mrs Chammas sustained massive blood loss which could not be remedied by a transfusion.

Doctors were forced to perform a partial hysterectomy but the bleeding continued and Mrs Chammas was taken to intensive care. In total, five consultants, five senior registrars and about eight nurses attended in the unsuccessful attempt to stop the haemorrhaging.

Despite four further operations, she could not be saved and died on 11 July from renal failure and jaundice.

At the inquest into her death, it was revealed that Mrs Chammas?s placenta had perforated her womb, causing massive haemorrhaging after her son was delivered. Westminster-Coroner Dr Paul Knapman recorded a verdict of death from natural causes after clearing the hospital of any blame for Mrs Chammas?s death.

Summing up, he said: ?I think Mr Chammas is certainly worthy of sympathy in his grief, but as the evidence has unfolded from the people who were there in the theatre at the time, it was obviously a very desperate situation and people were doing their best to save this poor woman.??

A spokesman from the trust said today : ?Clearly this a very distressing time for Mr Chammas and his family and we would like to reiterate our sincere condolences.

?We can confirm that Mrs Chammas suffered from a rare condition of pregnancy known as Placenta Accreta and sadly died at the hospital on 11 July 1999.

?As this matter is the subject of potential legal proceedings, the trust is unable to comment further at this stage.?

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