An inquest is being held into the death of Samantha Davis, who died last year aged 53 at London’s University College Hospital
An inquest is being held into the death of Samantha Davis, who died last year aged 53 at London’s University College Hospital
Samantha Davis, the actress and wife of Warwick Davis, died after suffering a cardiac arrest hours before a hospital was planning to discharge her, an inquest has found.
Samantha died aged 53 at University College Hospital in London on March 24 last year. She had been admitted to hospital on February 7 following a sudden loss of mobility in her lower limbs after a disc prolapse.
The inquest at Inner West London Coroner’s Court concluded Samantha – who had the achondroplasia form of dwarfism – died of arrhythmic cardiac arrest following complications of essential surgical treatment.
Samantha underwent a thoracic discectomy at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London on February 20 2024 and passed away following complications linked to her spinal surgery.
The procedure, intended to address semi-paralysis in her legs, involved cutting through her ribs and deflating a lung.
Post-surgery, she suffered a haemothorax, leading to the drainage of approximately one litre of fluid. She was then transferred to University College London Hospital for observation.
After a second haemothorax in March, Samantha showed signs of improvement and was scheduled for discharge on March 24.
However, she went into cardiac arrest shortly before midnight on March 23 and was pronounced dead in the early hours of the following day. Resuscitation efforts lasted 53 minutes.
Pathologist Dr John Firth attributed her death to a left haemothorax resulting from surgical complications, noting the presence of over 700ml of blood and clots.
However, some medical professionals offered differing opinions.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Mr David Lawrence stated a chest x-ray taken the day before her death appeared satisfactory and suggested that the bleeding was more likely caused by CPR.
Consultant spinal surgeon Mr Adrian Casey, who performed the discectomy, remarked such blood loss was “unlikely to cause death” and described the cause as “somewhat unexplained”.
Dr Katherine Hunt, UCLH’s clinical lead for resuscitation, said Samantha’s bleed was more likely a result of CPR and identified signs of an abnormal heart rhythm on the defibrillator rhythm strip.
Senior Coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox concluded the actress passed away from arrhythmic cardiac arrest following complications from spinal surgical treatment.
She stated: “On the balance of probabilities, the stress of her surgeries and the complications that arose precipitated the arrhythmia.”
Professor Wilcox emphasised Samantha received “nothing but excellent care” and added: “All of her complications were appropriately managed. It’s heartbreaking that the surgery was successful only for complications to arise and cause her death.”
Warwick, 55, and his family, represented by medical negligence lawyers, attended the inquest seeking clarity on the circumstances surrounding Samantha’s death.
In a statement released through their solicitors, the family expressed hope the inquest would provide them with answers and thanked everyone for their kindness and well-wishes.
Samantha, who co-founded the charity Little People UK in 2012, met Warwick in 1988 on the set of the film ‘Willow’.
They married in 1991 and had two children, Annabelle, 27, and 21-year-old Harrison.
The couple experienced the loss of two sons – Lloyd, who died at nine days old in 1991, and George, who was lost during pregnancy.
