Abbey Wood: A teenage girl from Abbey Wood with leukaemia died after chemotherapy to cure her went tragically wrong, an inquest heard.

Brenda Okeze, 17, of Overton Road, died of multiple-organ failure, on April 12, at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Southwark Coroner's Court heard how she was diagnosed with acute myleoid leukaemia in April last year.

During chemotherapy treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital, in Sutton, Surrey, she suffered a collapsed lung after a tube perforated her jugular vein.

She was rushed to the Royal Brompton Hospital for treatment to rectify the problem but her liver was accidentally torn during the procedure.

Days later she died from multiple-organ failure caused by multiple haemmorrhages.

Michael Harrison, representing the family, told the inquest: "Their concern is it is not the leukaemia which killed her but the complication which arose from the management of that. In other words, it was the treatment, not the disease, which killed her."

Recording a verdict of misadventure, coroner Dr Paul Knapman said: "Tragically, this girl of only 17 was found, about a year before this event, to have leukaemia.

"One has almost lost count of how many drains and procedures Brenda had. One has to reflect how much a person can take.

"I think she has died as result of complications. They were interventionist complications and there is a risk associated with the insertion of various things.

He added: "It is a risk people must acknowledge. It is a very unfortunate situation and it seems to me there has been at least two complications of treatment."

July 10, 2002 10:30