Nurse, 47, Was Told Her Chest Pain Was Indigestion Before She Died

A nurse in England experiencing “crushing” chest pains was sent home from the hospital with a diagnosis of indigestion, before she died three days later after suffering a medical emergency, according to reports.

In March 2024, Paula Ivers, 47 — who had been a pediatric nurse for more than 24 years — went to Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester with horrific pains, which she told her partner were worse than experiencing childbirth, per ITV News.  

During an inquest at Manchester South Coroners’ Court in the U.K. town of Stockport on Monday, Nov. 17, it was revealed that Ivers was then found collapsed on her bedroom floor three days later by her 9-year-old daughter, the outlet stated. She was later pronounced dead, and a post-mortem confirmed Ivers had died from an aortic dissection.

Per the Mayo Clinic, “An aortic dissection is a medical emergency in which a tear happens in the inner layer of the body’s main artery. That artery is called the aorta.” 

“Blood rushes through the tear. This causes the inner and middle layers of the artery to split, called a dissection. If the blood goes outside the artery, aortic dissection is often deadly,” the site adds.

When Ivers had gone to the hospital, she’d reportedly been “reassured” the pain was not “coming from the heart,” before she was sent home that same day, per the Manchester Evening News, citing the inquest.

Ivers’ partner, Simon Norbury, recalled how Ivers had been “struggling to breathe” in the car on the way to the hospital’s emergency room, where she’d been sent by her general practitioner the day prior, the outlet noted.

Blood tests and a chest X-ray had been done before Ivers’ death, but a CT scan wasn’t ordered, according to the Metro.

Ivers’ ECG scan came back as abnormal, but Dr. Osama Ahmed considered her as “low risk,” the outlet stated. He told the inquest he now realizes that was not the case, and she should have been hospitalized immediately.

Ivers’ partner, Norbury, said, “We were shocked to have lost her when we were told it was indigestion and there was nothing to worry about,” per the Metro.

He added that Ivers had told a doctor that her pain was “severe,” rating it an “eight or nine out of 10,” the Manchester Evening News reported.

It was also revealed in court that Ivers’ father had died from a cardiac arrest in his early 40s, per ITV News, meaning there had been a history of cardiac problems in the family.

Dr. Osama Ahmed made the decision to send Ivers to the hospital’s Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit, despite not knowing her family history or examining her himself, the outlet noted.

Ivers was discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease, the Manchester Evening News stated. Norbury said medics had told them his partner had been suffering from trapped wind and indigestion.

Norbury said in his statement, “You could see that she was still not feeling right. She sadly died on March 8, 2024,” as it was revealed in court that Ivers had been struggling to sleep because of the pain, per the outlet.

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Ivers’ family is now accusing the hospital of poor care, the Metro noted.

Her sister, Lesley Ivers, who is also a nurse, said at the inquest: “It is a cruel irony that Paula was a fierce advocate and defender of the [U.K.’s National Health Service] NHS, yet when she needed it most, she was let down in the worst way possible,” per the outlet.

Ivers’ inquest has now been adjourned until June 2026, due to staff shortages in the U.K. amid doctors’ strikes, the coroner said, as noted by ITV News.

A spokesperson for the Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, “Our thoughts are with Paula’s family at this very sad time. We are very sorry for their loss.”

“As a learning [organization], we will carefully consider the coroner’s findings. At this stage, we are unable to comment further on the inquest until a conclusion has been reached,” they added.

The Manchester South Coroners’ Court in Stockport didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.