She said Samantha\u2019s medical history needed to be taken more seriously, and more thorough testing should have been done with better equipment. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we were in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland, my daughter might have survived. My daughter might have got the help she needed faster,\u201d Whyman said. <\/p>\n
Health NZ Te Whatu Ora MidCentral director of operations, Katherine Fraser-Chapple, told the Herald the organisation acknowledged the tragic loss and recognised the family\u2019s grief. <\/p>\n
\u201cBecause this matter has been referred to the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC), we have no further comment at this stage,\u201d Fraser-Chapple said. <\/p>\n
In a statement, HDC said it could not comment further while the assessment was ongoing.<\/p>\n
Samantha Whyman, 29, who was 29 weeks pregnant, died at Palmerston North Hospital on April 13, 2024. Photo \/ Givealittle<\/p>\n
\u2018She was just left\u2019<\/p>\n
Whyman said she believed questions remained about her daughter\u2019s treatment and wanted to raise awareness, encourage accountability, and prevent another family from experiencing the same heartbreak. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe loss of Samantha and Harrison has devastated our family. We believe the public deserves to understand what happened and why lessons must be learned.\u201d <\/p>\n
Whyman said that before her daughter died, there had been multiple cancelled appointments with the cardiology team by the hospital and by Samantha. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t actually know how bad her heart was. We never got told,\u201d she claimed. <\/p>\n
The year before she died, Samantha had a stroke, and her mother claimed she was initially sent home without a diagnosis. <\/p>\n
Whyman said she thought her daughter\u2019s medical history was not taken seriously enough. In the days before her death, she went to the hospital on April 8 for swelling in her legs and reported feeling unwell. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey pretty much sent her home with compression stockings. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel as though she was just left,\u201d Whyman said. <\/p>\n
Whyman claimed Samantha was not adequately listened to when she was experiencing chest pain. <\/p>\n
On the day she died, she had been rushed to hospital by ambulance just hours after her GP had drained a cyst. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to listen to people when they\u2019re saying they are having chest pain. My daughter was telling [hospital staff] she was having chest pain, and they kept saying \u2018no, it\u2019s just the abscess under your arm,\u2019\u201d Whyman said.<\/p>\n
Samantha Whyman, 29, died at Palmerston North Hospital along with her newborn son, Harrison Earnshaw. Photo \/ Mark Mitchell <\/p>\n
Coroner Ian Telford said Samantha was loved by many, and it was beyond question that she was sorely missed. <\/p>\n
\u201cHarrison did not live very long, 38 minutes in fact, but it was 38 minutes of life nonetheless, and it was a cherished life,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Telford set out a broad summary of the circumstances surrounding Samantha and Harrison\u2019s deaths after reviewing \u201cextremely detailed\u201d medical evidence and reports. <\/p>\n
He said Samantha\u2019s medical history included an atrial septal defect closure (fixing a hole in her heart) in 2006, a left arachnoid cyst diagnosed in 2014 and an embolic right middle cerebral artery infarct (stroke) in April 2023. <\/p>\n
On the day of her death, the findings said Samantha\u2019s GP drained a cyst in her left armpit, but an hour later, Samantha complained of feeling unwell with chest pain, fever and shivering. <\/p>\n
She was taken by ambulance to the Emergency Department (ED) at Palmerston North Hospital.<\/p>\n
When she arrived at the ED, Samantha had a headache, a high temperature and severe chest pain. <\/p>\n
Telford said an electrical cardiogram (ECG) was performed, and a full range of bloods were taken. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was reported that Samantha\u2019s troponin level was elevated. There was a delay in this information being communicated to clinicians in the ED,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
A repeat of the troponin level was requested. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs the clinicians were discussing Samantha\u2019s case and her results and formulating a plan, at 2.48pm the emergency call bell was activated, after Samantha was found to be in a collapsed state,\u201d Telford said. <\/p>\n
Resuscitation efforts began immediately, and despite \u201cextensive efforts\u201d and the use of \u201call available life-preserving measures\u201d, Samantha could not be revived and died at 4.15pm. <\/p>\n
During this time, Harrison was delivered by emergency caesarean section at about 3.10pm. Emergency resuscitation efforts were started immediately. <\/p>\n
After he was fitted with a breathing tube, doctors noted a heart rate, but he was no longer breathing. Medical staff concluded that Harrison\u2019s body did not receive enough oxygen for a long period of time. <\/p>\n
\u201cSevere brain damage had likely occurred before delivery,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
It was ultimately assessed that Harrison\u2019s condition could not be survived and he died at 3.48pm. <\/p>\n
An autopsy of Samantha concluded that the primary cause of Samantha\u2019s death was a heart attack because of cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n
The pathologist did not think Samantha\u2019s abscess contributed to her death. <\/p>\n
Samantha Whyman, 29. Photo \/ Givealittle<\/p>\n
Review of care <\/p>\n
Telford concluded that neither death was preventable at the time Samantha went to Palmerston North Hospital on April 13.<\/p>\n
During his inquiry, he learned that Health New Zealand MidCentral was conducting a Serious Adverse Event Review, which was completed in June last year. <\/p>\n
Telford sought a preliminary opinion from Dr Garry Clearwater, the chief medical adviser to the Coroners Court, whose report raised some issues and made some further suggestions. <\/p>\n
\u201cHNZ MidCentral have recently confirmed they agree with those suggested recommendations and provide further information outlining the changes already in place or those that are about to be put in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Telford said that while MidCentral had made changes to clinical care in response to Clearwater\u2019s report, its own report was silent on the concerns that led to Clearwater\u2019s recommendations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe effect is that there are agreed recommendations but no consensus or otherwise in relation to what, if anything, went wrong during the material care episode proximal (close to) to these deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the lack of clear response from Health NZ to Clearwater\u2019s findings on care provision, \u201cthere is agreement about the steps that have and will be taken to strengthen the clinical care for people like Samantha and Harrison. This is no small thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018She was my rock\u2019<\/p>\n
Whyman said her daughter was her best friend who had a great sense of humour. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe liked to have a joke with everybody … she was a good big sister to her younger siblings and a good sister to her older brother who passed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was my rock too. Anyone hurt me, she\u2019d be right there. She was my protector. We were like best friends,\u201d Whyman said. <\/p>\n
She said Samantha\u2019s death came days after another of her daughters got married. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe was a bridesmaid, and we got some beautiful photos of her.\u201d<\/p>\n