A NELSON man who did not survive an operation would have died without it, an inquest was told.

The inquest at Burnley Magistrates' Court yesterday heard John Widdup, 64, of Hibson Road, Burnley, died during surgery at Burnley General Hospital on November 15.

He had been admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain two days earlier.

Mr Rahi, a consultant general surgeon at the hospital, told the inquest that a decision not to operate straight away was taken after clinical examination.

He said Mr Widdup was given antibiotics, but they did not work. He added that on November 15 his pain had spread and an emergency operation was needed to save his life.

A post mortem examination carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr Charles Wilson found damage to Mr Widdup's heart valves, a severely dilated valve and that the heart was only working to 30 per cent of its capacity.

Dr Wilson told the court: "I do know that he would have died without the operation."

Recording a verdict of death by natural causes, acting East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor said: "Because of his heart he could have passed away at any time.

"Where a patient is suffering from a potentially fatal condition and a medical intervention fails to prevent death, that does not stop the death being one of natural causes."