A BUSINESSMAN died in hospital from complications caused by an earlier operation to remove a tumour from his pancreas, an inquest heard.

Jonathan Kingerlee passed away at the Churchill hospital on August 8 after suffering a blood haemorrhage as a result of an operation two weeks' earlier.

Oxford Coroner’s Court heard on Friday how the 55-year-old had a cardiac arrest after doctors tried to carry out a blood transfusion, and died despite attempts to resuscitate him.

Mr Kingerlee was diagnosed with cancer in June last year and underwent surgery on July 20.

Consultant surgeon Dr Zahir Soonawalla told the inquest doctors carried out a CT scan on Mr Kingerlee and kept him in hospital overnight on August 7 where he was checked on by on-duty staff.

Dr Soonawalla said there had been no observations recorded between about 6am and 9am on August 8, when Mr Kingerlee was found to have a body temperature of more than 38 degrees.

But he said although he would have ideally liked more observations to have been carried out during that period, it would have been unlikely to have been enough to save his life.

Dr Soonawalla told the inquest doctors tried to carry out a blood transfusion when his condition worsened but he died away later that day.

The Oxford resident was chairman of Kidlington-based construction company Kingerlee Limited.

He had three sons – Thomas, William and Benjamin – with his wife Fiona.

Assistant coroner Alison Thompson gave a narrative verdict, and said the death was the result of complications from an earlier surgical procedure.