A young mum collapsed and died of a heart attack just hours after her she was diagnosed with indigestion.

Doctor Patricia Ridley said Christina Hymers "seemed ok" when she called to see her during the night complaining of chest pain and numbness in her left arm.

Newcastle County Court heard how the 36-year-old had said she feared she was "going to die" and was found collapsed in bed by her nine year old son the next day.

Despite frantic efforts by husband Paul, 37, and paramedics who arrived a short time later, Mrs Hymers could not be revived and was pronounced dead.

The court was told how Mrs Hymers, who had two sons, Jonathon, then 9, and Christopher, 2, had been at a works party at the Crown Hotel in Wetherall on December 4 1999.

She returned home at around 1am but woke a short while later in agony.

Her husband, who is now suing Dr Ridley, of Haltwhistle Health Centre, Haltwhistle, Northumberland, told the court in his statement: "She had not over indulged in food or drink.

"At around 2am she woke with massive pain in her chest and numbness in her left arm.

"She told me she was having a heart attack and that she was going to die and asked me to call the doctor."

The court heard how Mrs Hymers worked as a receptionist for the doctor and would not have rang out of hours unless it was absolutely necessary.

Mr Hymers, who said his wife had felt she was suffering from heartburn over the previous two weeks, was told to give her a drink of warm water until the doctor arrived at the house about 20 minutes later.

The court was told that by the time the doctor arrived and had completed her examination Mrs Hymers felt the pain was easing off.

She was given two capsules for indegestion and no further action was taken. After spending the day at home she woke at around 6am on December 6 to find that the pain was back again.

After briefly getting out of bed she returned to lie down while her husband prepared breakfast.

But just a short time later her son Jonathon shouted for help after finding his mother collapsed half out of the bed.

The post mortem revealed she died of a rare hereditary heart condition.

Mr Hymers accepts Dr Ridley could not have diagnosed the condition during her visit but claims she is negligent by failing to admitt her to hospital when she had symptoms consistent with unstable angina.

Mr Hymers claims the doctor would only have been justified in diagnosing indigestion if she was able to exclude cardiac problems.

The court heard evidence from Professor Celia Oakley, of Imperial College London, who said Mrs Hymers had shown obvious signs of cardiac pain and that "she would not have been allowed to die" if she had been admitted to hospital.

Mr Hymers says in his claim: "The medical practitioner should assume the serious problem is the correct answer until proved otherwise."

He told the court how his wife's uncle had also died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 33.

The self-employed joiner told how, even four years on, he finds it difficult to discuss the tragedy and the effect it continues to have on himself and his two sons, Jonathan, 13, and Chris, 11.

He said: "It was devastating for the whole family and it has been very hard for the boys growing up without their mum.

"We are trying to rebuild our lives. She was a warm and wonderful woman and a very loving wife and mother and I believe her life could have been saved."

Prof Oakley told the court: "Mrs Hymers was initially thought to have been suffering from indigestion.

"But once she presented with obviously cardiac pain those two weeks of heartburn should have been reinterpreted as two weeks of angina.

"All the factors were absolutely typical and no other diagnosis could logically have been made.

"If there had been even a small chance of the pain being cardiac, she should have been referred to Hexham Hospital."

Prof Oakley said that had Mrs Hymers been admitted to hospital she would have been administered drugs, including aspirin and beta-blockers, which would have prevented her condition worsening.

Had they failed to work, routine monitoring procedures would have picked up the warning signs which would have allowed more powerful drugs to have been administered.

If this second intervention failed, she said, Mrs Hymers would have been transferred to the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, where more drastic measures could have been taken to keep her alive.

She described the chances of all efforts failing as "infinitesimal, exceedingly small" and said there would have been a 90 per cent chance Mrs Hymers would have been prevented from having the fatal heart attack.

Her view was contradicted by Dr Stephen Brecker, a consultant cardiologist from St George's Hospital, London, who said there was only a 30pc chance drugs could have saved Mrs Hymers.

He said: "It is plainly evident that the majority of episodes of chest pain lasting 20 minutes or less are not sent to hospital" Dr Ridley said: "I knew the patient very well and was devastated by what happened.

"At the time I thought quite carefully about what I was doing and believed it was the right thing."

Mr Hymers claims proper questioning of her patient would have alerted Dr Ridley to the fact there was a family history of heart trouble. It is claimed if Mrs Hymers had been sent to hospital by the GP further tests would have identified the problem and her life would have been saved.

Dr Ridley denies negligence and the trial continues.