Actress Samantha Davis, the wife of Warwick Davis, passed away after experiencing a cardiac arrest just hours before she was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital, according to an inquest.
Mrs Davis, 53, tragically left us at London’s University College Hospital on 24 March last year.
She had been admitted six and a half weeks earlier due to a disc prolapse that caused a sudden loss of mobility in her lower limbs.
She underwent a thoracotomy operation – a surgical procedure involving the opening of the chest wall – on 20 February.
Following a second thoracotomy on 14 March, Mrs Davis’s condition had improved, and the hospital was preparing to discharge her, as detailed in the inquest at Inner West London Coroner’s Court.
However, at 11.25pm on 23 March, she went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 0.28am on 24 March after resuscitation attempts failed.
Senior coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox determined the cause of death as «arrhythmic cardiac arrest and complications following left thoracotomies».
Mrs Davis, who had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder leading to dwarfism, had «very severe spinal problems» necessitating multiple surgeries since 2016, as noted by the coroner.
The hospital provided exceptional care, managing all of Mrs Davis’s complications appropriately, Prof Wilcox stated.
«It is truly heartbreaking that despite a successful surgery, complications arose that led to her passing,» she added.
David Lawrence, a cardiothoracic surgeon at University College London Hospitals, reported that Mrs Davis’s condition was improving.
During her hospitalization, she had two surgical chest drains removed, with the second drain being removed on the day of her cardiac arrest, he disclosed.
«Sadly, the original plan was for her to be discharged home the following day,» he mentioned during the inquest.
«We had confirmed through a chest x-ray, stable observations, and no bleeding that she was fit for discharge.»
Read more:
Katy Perry sings in space
White Lotus star hits out at ‘mean’ joke
Mr Davis, renowned for his roles in the Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises, dedicated his BAFTA film fellowship award to Mrs Davis in a touching tribute at the ceremony in February.
The couple first met on the set of the 1988 film «Willow,» married three years later, and have two children together.
In 2012, they established the charity Little People UK to support individuals with dwarfism and their families.