A CORONER has backed Southampton doctors after a baby died during a vital heart operation.

Eleven-month-old Mahir Chowdhury died hours after surgery at Southampton General Hospital last July.

He was the only son of Tofazzul and Fatima Chowdhury who had been trying for a baby for 10 years.

As reported by the Daily Echo, Mahir, who was born with a congenital heart defect, began bleeding uncontrollably during the procedure but a stitch used to stop the bleeding narrowed his coronary artery leading to heart failure.

But Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman said it was the doctors' only option.

Recording a narrative verdict at Mahir's inquest, he said: "There could have been no greater emergency circumstances than in which the stitch was carried out.

"Mahir would have died if it had not been done so there was no alternative."

His parents, of Blanford, Dorset, argue they were not fully informed of the operation's risks and intend to take legal action.

But Mr Wiseman said the consent forms they signed included reference to a risk of death.

He added: "It's understandable that this last consent which led to such a tragic outcome must have weighed heavily on the parents who were reluctanct to give their consent given Mahir's appearance at the time."

Speaking after the hearing the family's barrister Tom Goodhead said: "They had been trying for a child for 10 years and have no other children. They still have significant concerns about whether fully informed consent was obtained."