A FORMER fire officer died the day after being discharged from hospital after treatment for a massive clot on the lung.

But an investigation carried out at Ysbyty Gwynedd found that 69-year-old Barrie Greenman he had received the appropriate care and treatment.

An inquest in Ruthin heard, however, that following his death in April, 2017, patients being discharged were now issued with written advice on what to look out for and what steps should be taken.

Mr Greenman, who retired in 1996 after 30 years with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, became unwell on March 31 with shortage of breath and a scan revealed a large clot in one lung and a smaller clot in the other.

He was prescribed an anti-coagulant to prevent any further clots forming and consultant Dr Hassan Mohammed said he was kept in as a precaution.

Three days later his stomach was seen to be distended and another scan revealed an obstruction in the bladder, so a catheter was fitted.

The inquest heard that Mr Greenman, of Vicarage Avenue, Llandudno, was keen to return home and his improvement was such that he was discharged on April 7.

The following evening, however, his wife Brenda saw him slumped in his chair and called an ambulance. Paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate him.

Pathologist Dr Andrew Dalton gave the cause of death as pulmonary embolism, so John Gittins, coroner for North Wales East and Central, recorded a conclusion of death by natural causes.

Mr Greenman's family raised some concerns with the hospital, questioning why he had not received a full body scan immediately on being admitted, whether the anti-coagulant medication was adequate and whether his discharge had been premature.

Dr Mohammed told the inquest that medication to dispel the clot – thrombolysis – had not been prescribed because it posed its own risks.

He said the clot which actually killed Mr Greenman had added to the original one.

Dr Karen Mottart, medical director at Ysbyty Gwynedd, said: "The general view is that the care and treatment he received was largely appropriate."

She acknowledged that communication with the family could have been better but said it was difficult when everything had been explained in person to a patient who was intelligent and articulate.

At the coroner's request Dr Mottart said she would check whether the improved discharge procedure at Ysbyty Gwynedd had been rolled out by the Health Board across North Wales.