Just hours before the birth of his first child, a man tragically passed away from a sudden cardiac arrest. Thomas Gibson, a 40-year-old man from Manchester, UK, was discovered in an unconscious state at his residence by his partner Rebecca Moss, who was in her 39th week of pregnancy. Rebecca Moss already had an appointment for a caesarean section that morning but was forced to call emergency services. Despite her attempts to revive him and the prompt arrival of emergency services, Gibson could not be revived.
Later, their daughter, Harper, was born safely on the same day, but Thomas Gibson never had the opportunity to meet her. The Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust acknowledged that they had provided incorrect medical care, misjudged a scan 11 days prior and failed to admit him for the necessary treatment. They confirmed that the father-to-be should have been hospitalised and given a pacemaker, which would have prevented his tragic death.
According to Sky News, Rebecca Moss woke up excited at around 5:15 am and found Thomas sleeping on the couch. Excited about welcoming their child, she attempted to wake him, saying, “Wake up, it’s baby day.” Realising that something was wrong, she quickly attempted CPR and called for an ambulance. Despite the medical team arriving promptly, Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rebecca Moss said, “Tom didn’t respond, so I went over to the couch to give him a kiss. He was lying in his usual sleeping position. When I touched him, he was cold and stiff. He wouldn’t wake up. I called 999 immediately. They asked me to pull Tom on to the floor and perform chest compressions. I started chest compressions until the ambulance arrived.” The new mother claimed the “shock, trauma and physical exertion” was “overwhelming,” due to her pregnancy.
As per BBC, Coroner Christopher Morris stated, “I can’t even begin to fathom what that must have been like for her, particularly in the context of what should have been the happiest day for both of them. When the clinical team assessed him they did not appreciate the ECG showed him to be experiencing complete heart block. Had this been appreciated Mr Gibson would have been admitted under the care of cardiologists, a series of investigations undertaken, which would probably have culminated in an implantable device, such as a pacemaker being fitted.”
Thomas Gibson, who worked at a timber yard, was physically fit but had been experiencing cramps and diarrhoea for almost three weeks. He was discharged from the hospital after doctors determined he didn’t need any serious treatment but was advised to return if his condition did not improve within a week. Unfortunately, he was found dead 11 days later from sudden cardiac arrest.