Inquest into death from gastric band surgery complications

An inquest into the death of a woman who had gastric band surgery has found that the incident was a result of a blood clot, as well as a series of complications from the surgery.
The coroner said that Clare White, a 37 year old from Derby, died because her health was affected by diabetes, heart disease that had not been diagnosed and a clot on her lung. Mrs White, who weighed up to 19 stone, died in September 2010 from complication after having gastric band surgery (also know as bariatric surgery) at Royal Derby Hospital.
Paul McCandless, deputy assistant coroner, said she had developed an infection due to a “rare but recognised complication of gastric band erosion”, that had “weakened adjacent cells and allowed the movement of bacteria from the stomach.”
When doctors at the Royal Derby Hospital examined her prior to the operatio, she was found to be suitable for having a gastric band fitted, but the mother of three had to be readmitted to the hospital after the operation because of an infection and she died the next month.
It was stated at the inquest that Mrs White had been informed about the risks involved in the operatio, and that there was a 1 in 100 likelihood of complications and around a 1 in 2,000 risk of death from the procedure. She had previously attempted to lose weight, but without success.