A TRANSPLANT patient died after an "early warning system" for doctors failed to be put into operation.

An inquest heard the system meant that Becca Moss should have seen a doctor when she became ill during her recovery from a second kidney transplant.

The hearing was told it took six hours for doctors to fully investigate when the 26-year-old, of Cotmanhay, became unwell. She died less than two hours later. Coroner Dr Nigel Chapman said it was not known whether it impacted on her death but Nottingham City Hospital, where Becca died, said it had reviewed its system and retrained staff.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Nottinghamshire Coroner Dr Chapman said: "Whether she would have survived or not, we don't know."

Becca, of Bond Close, had fought kidney disease for more than a decade and underwent her first kidney transplant when she was nine years old.

But seven years later she was forced to go back on daily dialysis when the kidney started to fail.

She underwent a second transplant on September 25 last year at Nottingham City Hospital but three days later the organ had to be removed after the operation failed.

The inquest heard that Becca began to deteriorate during her recovery.

Transplant surgeon Keith Rigg told Nottingham Coroner's Court that Becca become ill at 2am on October 5.

An "early warning system" meant that she should have seen a doctor – but she did not.

The inquest heard it was not until Mr Rigg came in at 8am that things started to get moving.

As she waited for a CT scan she suffered a cardiac arrest, caused by a ruptured oesophagus, at 9.40am. Doctors put a drain in to try to remove fluid from her chest, but it damaged a major artery causing massive bleeding.

She was rushed into surgery where she died. Consultant pathologist Dr Philip Kaye told the inquest the main cause of Becca's death was the injury to the artery, but the ruptured oesophagus and chronic renal failure had contributed.

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Rigg said the early warning system procedures had been reviewed.

He said: "On behalf of the hospital trust I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Rebecca's family.

"Members of staff on the ward have received refresher training and the correct procedures have been highlighted to staff by the ward manager."

Becca's mum, Michelle Morley, said her daughter's death had been hard to accept after she had undergone years of gruelling dialysis.

She said: "That's the hardest bit to comprehend for me. It's heartbreaking.

"The inquest has given me partial closure but I still have questions."

Click here to leave a tribute to Becca Moss