Hospital ‘let down’ heart death doctor

A GP died after doctors failed to spot a heart condition, an inquest heard.

Mark Howard, 45, went to hospital with chest pains and was told he had an “irregular heart rate”.

He died at home in Welton three days after being released from nearby Lincoln County Hospital.

Expert witness Dr Sagar Doshi, a heart consultant, told the city inquest Dr Howard was not given a CT scan, which would have found a torn aorta.

The coroner recorded a narrative verdict, saying it was “more likely than not” that Mark would have had successful surgery had his condition been diagnosed.

Tania Harrison, a lawyer representing dad-of-two Mark’s family, said afterwards: “The family believe he was seriously let down.”