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Missed Pregnancy Tests Under Scrutiny in Death of Zoe Tighe, 22

The coroner is deliberating after expert evidence that more could have been done.

Overview

  • An expert urologist told the inquest that his view shifted from satisfied to believing more could have been done in Zoe Tighe’s care.
  • James Paget Hospital saw Tighe four times in April and June 2023 for lower abdominal pain, yet no pregnancy tests were performed and she was treated for UTIs.
  • She collapsed on June 24, 2023, was diagnosed with sepsis, and a scan revealed a roughly 14-week pregnancy with fetal death; she died on June 26 after three cardiac arrests at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
  • Her provisional cause of death was recorded as sepsis due to an E. coli urinary infection and missed miscarriage, with ketamine misuse listed as a contributing factor.
  • A consultant said pregnancy testing is standard for women of childbearing age with abdominal pain, and the case has raised questions that could drive reviews of A&E triage and testing practices.