A MISSING piece of an oxygen mask did not significantly contribute to the death of a Taunton woman who was living on borrowed time, an inquest heard on Thursday, September 9.

Jeanette Brock, 71, of Cambridge Terrace, died in Taunton Community Hospital on March 12 last year after almost three years fighting respiratory failure and other conditions made worse by morbid obesity.

Her family was concerned that her death may have been quickened by the fact that a flange designed to release carbon dioxide from her ventilator was missing for up to 48 hours in the days leading up to her death.

That would have led to a 400 per cent drop in pressure within the mask, and Mrs Brock's sons, Paul and Russell, said they wanted to make sure the fault could never happen again.

Lengthy medical and technical evidence led West Somerset coroner Michael Rose to the verdict that Mrs Brock died of natural causes, including pneumonia, chronic lung disease and a blood clot.

But he vowed to write to the mask's manufacturers in Australia, asking them to address the potential design flaw, which means a crucial piece of rubber can be easily removed for cleaning.

Recording his verdict and extending his deepest sympathies to Mrs Bock's family, Mr Rose concluded: "The lesson to be learned here is that if one wants facilities in community hospitals the country merely has to spend more money on it."