A young woman and her unborn baby died after a hospital failed to check if she was pregnant during four trips to A&E, an inquest has heard.
Zoe Tighe, 22 – who didn’t know she was expecting – repeatedly went to James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk, over a six-week period complaining of lower abdominal pain but was treated for a urinary tract infection (UTI).
Two weeks later she collapsed at home and was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with sepsis.
A scan showed the beauty therapist and nail technician was 14 weeks pregnant, however the baby had already died.
Ms Tighe was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital but, having suffered three cardiac arrests shortly after giving birth, died on June 26, 2023.
The inquest in Norwich heard that she started to misuse ketamine following the death of her father when she was 17.
She had developed bladder fibrosis – dubbed ketamine bladder – as a result and suffered regular UTIs.
But her mother, Jane, complained staff at the hospital ‘didn’t look beyond her ketamine use’ and were ‘not interested in investigating if anything else was wrong’.
‘The consultant [who delivered the baby]… could not understand why James Paget had never done a routine pregnancy test on any of Zoe’s visits as she said this would be standard with any young woman presenting at A&E with lower abdominal pain, even if they didn’t think they were pregnant,’ she said.
She added: ‘It is my belief that had Zoe been made aware of her pregnancy when she first presented at James Paget with the abdominal issues, that attitude towards the maintenance of her health and seeking further support for the sake of the unborn child would have been a priority.
‘Although Zoe had not planned to have a child at this time, she was a caring person who would have stepped up to meet the responsibilities of parenthood.’
Ms Tighe was admitted to the hospital’s emergency department in 2023 on April 24, May 22, June 2 and June 7, Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard.
She collapsed on the floor of the family home in Lowestoft on June 24 and was taken by ambulance to the hospital in a ‘critically ill’ condition.
Staff finally diagnosed her with with sepsis and a scan revealed the ‘huge shock’ that she was pregnant.
Miss Tighe had returned to Lowestoft four months before her death following a three-month stay in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, to undergo rehab.
Ketamine is used as an anaesthetic in human and veterinary medicine and can cause serious long-term bladder problems when misused.
Jane said: ‘She had everything to live for – a promising career, secure and loving home and a nice boyfriend.
‘Unfortunately, [after returning home] her physical health was still very poor and she was in extreme pain all of the time.
‘Although she sought help – joining support groups, speaking to her support worker and seeing the GP frequently to get pain relief – the pain was relentless.’
The pain was so severe she had become wheelchair bound and suicidal on occasions.
Jane said this resulted in her daughter’s health not being investigated properly when she visited the emergency department.
‘She was just sent home with very basic painkillers and/or antibiotics for the UTI, which plainly didn’t work at all,’ she said.
‘I honestly feel that anyone who saw her at James Paget simply didn’t look beyond her ketamine issue.
‘They were just not interested in investigating if anything else was wrong. They just kept saying they couldn’t do anything for her.
‘I asked for scans and begged for her to be admitted as she was in so much pain and so frail but I was frankly ignored.’
A legal representative for Ms Tighe’s family told the inquest: ‘One of the questions is whether there being no pregnancy testing performed has altered the flow of events at all and whether not performing the pregnancy test has caused or materially contributed to Zoe’s death.
‘Pregnancy tests ought to have been performed on several occasions at the JPH.’
Jane added: ‘I hope action will be taken to ensure justice is done for Zoe. There are certainly lessons to be learned.’
Her daughter’s provisional cause of death has been given as sepsis due to E-coli, urinary tract infection and missed miscarriage, with a contributing factor of ketamine misuse.
The inquest is expected to conclude today.
