The family of a man who died following post-operation complications had concerns about the consent process and his time spent in hospital following the procedure, an inquest has heard. 

David John Pitcher, who resided in Harwell, near Didcot, was born in Surrey in July 1945 and died aged 78 at the John Radcliffe Hospital (JR) in Oxford on May 24, 2024.

He had an abdominal aortic aneurysm and underwent elective surgery on April 25 which took approximately four and a half hours. 

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a swelling in the aorta, the artery that carries blood from the heart to the abdomen, and can be serious due to the risk of them bursting. 

The inquest opening took place on June 5, where Mr Pitcher's initial cause of death was ruled as "multi-organ failure", and the full inquest took place at Oxfordshire County Hall yesterday (September 24). 

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At the inquest Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter said that Mr Pitcher had died following post-operation complications.

Dr Dominic Howard, a consultant vascular surgeon at the John Radcliffe Hospital who operated on Mr Pitcher, gave evidence at the inquest.

Mr Pitcher's family raised concerns about whether Mr Pitcher was fully aware of the risks involved with the operation. 

The court heart that Mr Pitcher had multiple arteries that were "hardened" with disease within them prior to the operation.

Mr Pitcher's wife, Lesley, said her husband had told her prior to the operation: "If there is anything wrong I won't have the operation."

The inquest was held at Oxfordshire County Hall (Image: Oxford Mail) However, Mr Howard said the 78-year-old had completed a cardiopulmonary exercise test before undergoing the operation and that consent procedures were followed before the operation. 

"I did not have a reason not to operate on him," he said. 

"Although David was slightly higher risk, it was the most suitable procedure for him.

"As a surgeon I cannot predict the outcome. I never felt at any stage that David was unwell or too unhealthy to have surgery. 

"We do not just look at calcification, we look at function and exercise test which gives us a lot more information than just the pictures."

There were also concerns raised by Mr Pitcher's son, Andrew, about whether he was moved from the intensive care unit too soon follow his operation.

However, Mr Howard said the intensive care outreach team "saw him every day" whilst he was in the general ward. 

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Providing a narrative conclusion, Mr Salter said: "The operation took place without complications and David was initially stable afterwards."

However, despite treatment for the "recognised complications" that followed, which included ileus, respiratory distress and multi-organ failure, Mr Salter said Mr Pitcher "did not have the physiological reserve" to recover. 

Mr Salter offered his condolences to the family, adding: "It is a very sad and a very difficult time but at least we can conclude the formal process."