Woman died after hospital misdiagnosis: inquest

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A coronial inquest has begun in Perth into the death of a 28-year-old woman who was misdiagnosed at Fremantle Hospital.

Petra Zele died from complications arising from a blood clot in her lungs in May 2010.

Two weeks earlier, she was sent home from the hospital despite abnormal results in a heart test.

The inquest will investigate whether hospital staff acted appropriately on the results.

After she was discharged, Ms Zele went to her family GP complaining of shortness of breath and another test was conducted.

It also showed abnormal results, but they were never relayed to Ms Zele.

The next day, she collapsed on her way to hospital and later died.

Ms Zele was recently married and her husband and other family members were in court to hear the inquest.

In a letter read to the court, Ms Zele’s mother Jackie said her Croatian-born daughter was a “beautiful soul” who was “full of life” and “generous and kind to everyone”.

“We believe that her tragic death was preventable,” she said.

The hearing has been set down for five days and is expected to hear from more than a dozen witnesses including cardiologists and hospital staff.