A 65-YEAR-old man died following an operation at Hereford County Hospital, an inquest heard.

John Hathaway of Hereford Street, Presteigne went into hospital on September 28, suffering from pain in his abdomen and low blood pressure.

Herefordshire Coroner's Court heard he had a history of ill health and received dialysis for renal failure.

The inquest heard on September 28 he needed an operation to remove an obstruction in his small bowel, and doctors wanted to transfer him to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

This transfer did not go ahead and the operation was carried out in Hereford.

Mr Hathaway was then taken to the ITU, where he died on October 1.

Dr Kumar, from Hereford hospital, told the inquest the consultant at the QE in Birmingham thought they were trying to transfer a very unwell patient and the team at the QE had to carry out an operation on another patient that evening.

Dr Kumar said the operation was needed urgently, so it went ahead at Hereford, and he said Mr Hathaway was too ill to transfer to Birmingham following the operation.

A pathologist recorded the cause of death as shock and haemorrhage, with reference to post-operative bleeding, a small bowel adhesion and a hernia.

Coroner Mark Bricknell said an operation appropriately took place at Hereford before Mr Hathaway suffered a sudden drop in blood pressure and died.

He recorded a narrative verdict- "Mr Hathaway died following a hospital operation but I find nothing within the evidence to suggest the death was due to any inappropriate medical treatment."