Pensioner died following 'terrible' abdominal pains

A ‘fit and agile’ Iver pensioner died hours after being readmitted to hospital suffering from 'terrible' abdominal pain, an inquest at Windsor Guildhall heard today.

John Meacock, 90, of Iver Lane, was discharged from Wexham Park Hospital on October 1 last year, only to be readmitted the next day when his condition greatly deteriorated.

A CT scan revealed a pseudo-obstruction of the intestine, which Dr Myles Fleming, a specialist registrar at Wexham Park Hospital, explained was like the bowel 'going on strike.'

A post-mortem revealed that this obstruction, in association with underlying heart disease, caused Mr Meacock's death.

He was discharged from the hospital by an on-call doctor on the strength of his medical notes, but against the best wishes of his wife Maureen, who described her husband as 'fit and agile.'

Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford said Mr Meacock’s death was natural but recorded a narrative verdict.

"At no time when he was in hospital was it recorded he had any evidence of bowel obstruction," said Mr Bedford. "But his symptoms at this time are completely at odds with the evidence of his wife who described her husband as having severe and terrible pain."