The jury at the second inquest into the death of a Cavan girl in hospital has recorded a verdict of medical misadventure.
Nine-year-old Frances Sheridan from Cootehilldied from a rare post operative complication less than four weeks after having her appendix removed at Cavan General Hospital. Unaware of her plight, she slept as her lungs filled with gastric contents caused by an obstruction in her bowel.
Just 36 hours before her death she had attended the hospital's A&E department with severe abdominal pain, but was discharged.
Her parents - who have four other children - today told Cavan Coroner's Court that Frances's condition improved the following day and that night she went in to a deep and peaceful sleep before waking around 6am for a drink.
They described how their outgoing and sporty daughter then fell limp in to her mother's arms. The pair fought in vain to save their her life as she lay motionless on their kitchen floor, with her eyes fixed and black vomit like fluid coming from her mouth.
"She said 'mammy I can't see'," Mrs Sheridan told the courthouse. "She never said anything else to me. It all happened in a flash."
She was later pronounced dead at Cavan General Hospital.
The inquest heard Frances had emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and peritonitis on January 7th, 2004, and despite suffering some abdominal pain a week later, was recovering well from the procedure.
On January 30th the girl was struck with vomiting and acute intermittent pains and was rushed to hospital on the orders of her family doctor. She was confirmed dead on February 1st.
In December 2005 an inquest jury took only minutes to returned a verdict of natural causes, despite Cavan coroner Dr Mary Flanagan suggesting such a verdict would not be appropriate.
Mr and Mrs Sheridan appealed to the Attorney General for the second inquest.
Today Dr Flanagan again recommended the jury to return a verdict of medical misadventure, emphasising the doctors' decision to discharged Frances without knowing her full medical history and their refusal to admitting her.
On returning their verdict after the nine hour hearing, the jury recommended all medical notes be readily available and for surgical teams to review the progress of post-operative patients.