A MAN who went into hospital complaining of gall stones died there three months later, an inquest heard.

Fred Slater, aged 78, of Plodder Lane, Farnworth, died in the Royal Bolton Hospital last October after undergoing operations to stop the pain.

At Bolton Coroner’s Court, assistant deputy coroner Peter Watson ruled that Mr Slater died after complications arose during an operation.

Mr Slater, a former Harper Green School pupil, was a mining engineer and met his wife, Audrey, while on holiday in Bournemouth in 1958, when they discovered they were both from Bolton.

Regular churchgoer Mr Slater retired in 1990 and loved to cook. He also learned German and calligraphy.

Mr Slater was diagnosed with gall stones and jaundice at the Royal Bolton in July last year.

Doctors stopped the pain, but a fluid drain unexpectedly moved from the liver to the abdomen, causing bleeding on August 4.

Mr Slater underwent successful surgery, but later developed breathing and swallowing problems.

On October 7, surgeons had to operate again to insert a drain, but it caused heavy bleeding, and he died five days later.

Dr Patrick Waugh said the cause of death was shock after a major loss of blood, and the hearing was told the insertion of the drain was the trigger for the bleed. Coroner Mr Watson recorded a narrative verdict that “the deceased died from a complication arising from a medical procedure to effect drainage of plural fluid from the chest cavity”.