Woman dies after routine IVF treatment - correction

In BioNews 371 we published a story about a British woman who died at the Leicester Royal Infirmary having undergone a standard IVF procedure.

It has been brought to our attention by University Hospitals Leicester (UHL) that there were a number of inaccuracies in the article, including the name of the patient and some of the details of what actually happened. In a statement, Dr Allan Cole, Medical Director of UHL said that "many of the facts, provided by a family member, speculated on and printed by the Sun newspaper... are grossly inaccurate. UHL has tried to respect the wishes of the deceased's family in that they did not wish any further information released on the circumstances of thus tragedy. However for the sake of public and patient confidence in the Assisted Conception Unit in Leicester we are forced to make comment.

"We are highly confident that the inquest into this tragedy will find that no 'blunder' happened during the surgical procedure by the doctor or any other clinician involved with this case. The bleeding that occurred would not have been unexpected in the type of procedure performed and we can categorically deny the comments made by a family member that the patient died as a result of haemorrhaging.

"We can also deny that the patient was discharged and rushed back into hospital as an emergency where it was too late to save her. The patient was receiving treatment for another medical condition when she unexpectedly died. An inquest into the death will be convened by the Coroner where the cause of death will be established following evidence presented by the pathologist."

We have altered the relevant text, and the full version of the corrected story can be read directly.