Vaky Varnava, 61, of Chelmsford Road, Walthamstow, died at the Leytonstone hospital on June 11.
An inquest was opened into his death at East London Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, July 2.
“Mr Varnava attended Whipps Cross Hospital A&E department after he had sustained a fall in the community,” said senior coroner Graeme Irvine.
“Whilst in the A&E, he suffered a further fall and, due to that fall, suffered a broken neck.”
He underwent surgery for the broken neck, but then developed a complication known as a “post-operative ileus”, which is when a patient’s bowel stops working after an operation.
His cause of death has been given as a “catastrophic bowel obstruction” caused by post-operative ileus and a neck fracture, against a backdrop of other health conditions including schizophrenia.
Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs Whipps Cross, referred the death to the coroner as it was “contributed to by trauma”.
“It seems to me that, due to the fact Mr Varnava’s death was contributed to by injuries sustained in a fall, it is proper to open an inquest,” Mr Irvine told the court.
The coroner has a duty to investigate all unnatural or unexplained deaths and whether future similar deaths might be avoided.
Mr Irvine said his inquest would “examine the standard of care offered to Mr Varnava”, which had “allowed Mr Varnava to sustain a further fall and injuries that contributed to his death”.
He declared Mr Varnava’s family and the trust “interested persons” – a legal status entitling them to legal representation, access to evidence before the final inquest and the ability to question any witnesses called to testify.
He asked his staff to obtain a statement from Mr Varnava’s family detailing everything they knew about the two falls and any concerns they had about his death.
He also ordered that the A&E consultant responsible for Mr Varnava provide a statement, as well as the consultant responsible for him after he was admitted for surgery.
The final inquest was provisionally scheduled for January.
A spokesperson for Barts Health NHS Trust said: “We offer our heartfelt condolences to Mr Varnava’s family and loved ones during this very difficult time. We will assist the coroner and help with any enquiries the court may have”.
Mr Varnava’s case is the second in less than two months to come before the court for investigation over a broken neck suffered on the hospital’s premises.
In May, Mr Irvine opened an inquest into the death of 89-year-old Gulzar Khan, of Beatrice Road, Walthamstow.
A neck fracture was only found by a pathologist after he had died.
Mr Irvine said this meant it had either been missed by medics when he was first admitted to hospital, or had occurred subsequent to his admission.
“It is very clear that at the time of this referral, they had no idea that Mr Khan had a fractured spine,” he told the court.
Barts said in May it was assisting the coroner in that case too.
