A 55-year-old man who had surgery for an injured knee, collapsed and died days after the operation, an inquest heard yesterday.

Alan Kane, from Kelloe, near Durham, died as the result of a blood clot, or pulmonary embolism, while in hospital recovering from an operation.

Mr Kane was admitted to the University Hospital of North Durham on February 21 for an operation on his knee, after rupturing a muscle.

Two days after the operation, he developed an infection which was treated with antibiotics.

But on March 9 Mr Kane died. He had suffered Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), or a blood clot in his leg, part of which broke away and lodged in his lung.

At yesterday's inquest at County Hall, Durham, hospital consultant Dr Nicholas Shaw said the odds of someone with DVT suffering a fatal embolism was five in 10,000.

Dr Shaw said they knew Mr Kane would be at risk of DVT, as he was severely overweight and relatively immobile with a large cast on his leg, so they gave him aspirin to thin his blood. He said his hospital unit decided aspirin was the best way to prevent DVT in patients after reviewing the medical literature available, although other treatments can be used.

Dr Paul Barratt, who carried out the post-mortem, said once the infection had been discovered and it was clear Mr Kane's recovery was not following the usual procedure, other drugs could have been tried to prevent DVT.

He told the inquest: "Maybe at that stage, having the clinical expertise and skill, someone could deviate from the departmental policy and say, 'this chap is at more risk, let's give him some different medication.'

"But that is with the great tool of hindsight. I know this person had a massive embolism and this is a rare outcome of this type of procedure."

North Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle took the rare step of recording a 'narrative verdict,' in which he wrote down the events leading to Mr Kane's death as the cause.