A jewellery expert died after being restrained by medics during a psychotic episode five weeks after giving birth, a court has heard.
Alice Gibson-Watt, who appeared on the Antiques Roadshow and worked for Sotheby’s auction house, was taken to West Middlesex University Hospital, in west London, by ambulance after the episode and transferred to the Lakeside mental health centre on 20 November 2012, where she went into cardiac arrest.
The 34-year-old from Fulham, west London, had been suffering from postnatal psychosis, which can cause hallucinations and paranoia.
She had also suffered a ruptured liver, the Daily Mail reports.
From there, Ms Gibson-Watt was transferred to King’s College Hospital in Camberwell where she died later that day.
An inquest into her death has been set for April next year to examine the way physical restraints were used on her by paramedics and the way CPR was administered.
At a hearing at West London Coroner’s Court, a lawyer representing the family asked for an expert to examine the way medics performed CPR.
“The family suggest the principle purpose of the investigation is the cardiac arrest," said barrister Jonathan Holl-Allen.
“It seems that [an expert] can express an opinion on the role of CPR in the causation of the liver injury which was sustained. We do know it’s recognised that resuscitation can cause a liver injury of this nature.”
Senior coroner Chinyere Inyama said: "We should be hearing evidence around the restraint episodes from the London Ambulance Service and police before admission to hospital."
