A TEACHER from Worcester died 15 days after an operation at Worcestershire Royal Hospital following very rare complications, an inquest heard.

Deputy coroner Dr Nigel Garbutt recorded an unusual 'narrative' verdict - death by peritonitis following elective surgery - to clarify the death of Kathleen Breen, last November.

Tuesday's inquest heard that 51-year-old Mrs Breen, of Bath Road, was admitted to the city hospital in October, last year, to have her spleen removed.

The procedure passed without difficulty but her post-operation symptoms - which were, at first, perfectly normal - persisted and became more acute.

Nine days later, during an investigative operation, a stitch from the first procedure was found to have trapped some of the lining of the small bowel, which led to a hole in the intestine. The bowel was repaired but Mrs Breen's condition deteriorated further and a third operation was carried out on November 10. She died in hospital the next day.

A post-mortem examination by Dr Eddie Tapp found peritonitis - inflammation of the lining of the abdomen - the primary cause of death.

John Black, Mrs Breen's consultant surgeon, told Worcestershire County Coroner's Court, held in Stourport-on-Severn, that he could not say when the bowel became caught in the stitching.

"It's perfectly possible that the bowel became trapped a few days after the operation," he said. "I do not know. Neither does anyone."

Representing the Breen family, Andrew Kennedy asked if Kathleen Breen's symptoms should have been noted as peritonitis at an earlier stage.

"This is a very, very rare complication of this operation," said Mr Black.

Deputy coroner Dr Garbutt said he thought the original operation was carried out "with the utmost care" and the second he considered to be "entirely appropriate".

After the case, her husband John said: "When Kathleen died, it was a terrible blow for me and our children.

"Kathy had been a wonderful wife and a caring mother. Not a day passes without me thinking

about her."

Mrs Breen, a mother-of-two, was a teacher at King Edward VI School, in Birmingham.

Richard Haynes, spokesman for Worcestershire Hospitals Acute NHS Trust, said: "We accept the coroner's verdict and would like to express our condolences to the family."