A CORONER will write to a neurosurgery hospital to find out if a pain-relieving procedure shortened a Basingstoke man's life, an inquest has heard.

Retired field engineer David Morris died on October 28, 2020, at St Michael's Hospice from cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

But a coroner heard that Mr Morris was left "not himself" after undergoing an operation at The Walton Centre in Liverpool which might have led to an obstruction in his bowel.

His wife, Caroline, told Winchester Coroner's Court on Thursday: "Before the cordotomy, he was eating. A smaller appetite than before, but he ate.

"When he got out, he never really ate again. When he came back, he was not himself."

Mr Morris was taken back to St Michael's Hospice in Basingstoke where the team had been treating him since he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of terminal cancer most commonly caused by asbestos exposure, in August 2019.

His family and staff at the hospice struggled to determine what was causing him so much pain and distress as no issues had been flagged during his surgery or discharge.

The coroner said she would be writing to the hospital to ask if it was possible that the bowel obstruction was caused by the surgery.

Described as a "huge family man", Mr Morris's wife said he was someone passionate about ice-hockey and "loved Christmas and being with the wider family".

He was born in Hillingdon, North London, and for many years worked in the tech industry, spending a significant period as a field engineer with the National Cash Register.

Mr Morris was diagnosed with cancer in August 2019, shortly after a holiday to Devon with his wife where they noticed he was getting short of breath, the court heard.

He underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and was monitored by St Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke. Due to severe pain, he made the decision to travel to The Walton Centre in Liverpool to have a cordotomy - a pain-relieving surgery.

However, after spending five nights at the hospital, David returned to St Michael’s Hospice “a different man”.

Mr Morris died on October 28, 2020, surrounded by family at the Basingstoke hospice.

Area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp recorded a verdict of industrial disease, saying: "Asbestos was so widely used in so many areas, that actual people could be exposed to it without working with it.

“It may have been that simply having the procedure was too much for him. He died, ultimately, of his cancer.”

However, the coroner added that she intended to write to The Walton Centre, to ask whether it is possible that the bowel obstruction could have been a result of the surgery.

She continued: “What concerns me is the closeness of the procedure to the bowel obstruction.

“I struggle to see how the procedure that was performed would have caused bowel ischemia, but the issue has to be raised. It is important to see the patient, not the procedure.”

Addressing the family, she added: “It must have been devastating, I am so sorry. Whether or not the cordotomy had anything to do with the bowel obstruction or not, it is regrettable that it happened when it did because it took time away from you.”