Elderly woman died after fall putting out rubbish at East Finchley home

An elderly woman died of heart problems after she suffered a fall while taking out the rubbish, an inquest has heard.

Palmina Cardia, 87, fractured her nose and broke a tooth when she fell outside her home in Leopold Road, East Finchley, in May, St Pancras Coroner’s Court was told on Thursday last week.

The Italian retired housekeeper, who was diagnosed with heart disease in 2011, was admitted to the Whittington Hospital on May 29 but died two days later in the early hours on May 31.

Mrs Cardia, who had an abnormal narrowing of the heart valves, was told by doctors she had a “terminal illness” but refused all offers of heart surgery.

Following her admission to hospital, intensive care consultant Dr Gillis said in a statement that Mrs Cardia became “more and more unwell”.

Doctors did not attempt to resuscitate her when she suffered a cardiac arrest due to the severity of her condition and she died at 1.25am.

Her husband Antonio Cardia, 84, remembered her as “kind and considerate”. “She loved gardening,” he said after the inquest. “And my wife was a great cook. I miss her.”

Senior coroner for inner north London Mary Hassell ruled Mrs Cardia died of natural causes.