Teacher died from blood clot day after being discharged from hospital – report

A primary school teacher died from an undiagnosed blood clot one day after being discharged from hospital, documents submitted to an inquest show.

Dena Collins, 28, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich, London, on January 12 2023 from a heart attack caused by a blood clot, despite medics initially suspecting a clot may be behind her symptoms.

Ms Collins, from Eltham in south London, visited her local GP three days before her death complaining of pain in her left leg and had texted friends and family saying she suspected she had a blood clot after Googling her symptoms and potential side effects of antibiotics she was taking.

At her GP, she was diagnosed with muscular pain and given reassurance.

On January 11, Ms Collins visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital complaining of four days of leg pain, fever and diarrhoea.

At the time, the nursery and reception teacher was using a crutch to walk because of the pain, limping and short of breath.

Despite the possibility of a blood clot being noted at triage and positive results from a D-dimer, a test used to identify clots, she was given a diagnosis of a possible ruptured cyst and told to return the next day for a scan.

Ms Collins collapsed at her family home the next morning.

Her father gave her CPR before an ambulance arrived and took her back to the same hospital where she died a couple of hours later.

A serious incident report, written by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, found that, despite seeing four doctors at the hospital, an undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot in a large vein – most commonly in the leg, led to Ms Collins’ fatal heart attack.

The report highlights multiple issues with Ms Collins’ care including that she was not asked about any risk factors for DVT, there were no records from her initial visit to the GP and that paper notes used at the hospital meant that her electronic record was incomplete.

It reads: “Had the DVT been diagnosed earlier and she received anticoagulation her outcome may have been different.”

The report concludes that that there were “some missed red flags” in Ms Collins’ care, including her shortness of breath, leg pain, a recent illness and that she was using a combined oral contraceptive pill, but that, given her heart attack occurred 16 hours after being discharged, “it is unlikely that this would have been preventable”.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Clare Collins, 33, said she believed her sister “had every chance of surviving”, had she been given anti-clot medication.

She said: “She knew she had a clot, she knew, and nobody listened to her, and then she just trusted that they had ruled out the life threatening and so did we.

“She should have been given that thinner, and I strongly believe she would have been here.

“She was young, she was fit, she was healthy – she had every chance of surviving.”

She added: “We cannot 100% say that the thinner would have saved her, but she was never given the chance, and that’s the whole reason why we’re going to court, because they neglected to give her something that could have potentially have saved her, and we believe she could have been saved.”

Ms Collins worked as a nursery and reception teacher and was “completely and utterly devoted to every class and every child that she taught”, particularly those with special educational needs, her sister said.

She was a devoted Crystal Palace football club fan and had a season ticket for more than 20 years – sitting side by side with her father at every home game.

An inquest into the teacher’s death opened at Southwark Coroner’s Court on Monday, more than two years after Ms Collins’ death, but was adjourned until June because of last minute evidence submitted to the court.

Clare Collins described the delay as “frustrating”, adding: “My mum is devastated, she just sat and sobbed next to me.”

She told the hearing, attended by more than 20 of Ms Collins’ family and friends, she believed her sister’s death was “avoidable” and that it has “destroyed” her family.

In a witness statement, she said: “We spent two years fighting to get answers for Dena and how we have to wait six more months.

“Our lives have been forever changed and the thought of living the rest of my days without her by my side leaves me unable to breathe.”

A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust spokesperson said: “We are truly saddened by Dena’s death and recognise the devastating and lasting impact this has on her family and friends.

“Following Dena’s death, we undertook a full and thorough review of her care, which has been shared with her family.

“It is very difficult for us to comment any further during today’s inquest, but we continue to offer the Collins family our sincere condolences and any support they need.”