Wei Liu, 37, died during childbirth at Richmond Hospital around midnight on Saturday. She is shown in her wedding photo. Photo: Victor Yu
The BC Coroners Service said it has completed the investigation into the death of a 37-year-old mother who died giving birth to her twins at Richmond Hospital last month, concluding that it was not a reportable death.
“After the initial investigation, [we] determined that it was not a reportable death (the Coroners Service only investigates sudden and unexpected deaths)…Natural deaths are not reportable to the Coroners Service,” wrote Andy Watson, spokesperson of BC Coroners Service, in an email to the Richmond News.
Wei Liu, a Richmond resident, suffered major bleeding while in labour and passed away after delivery early on the morning of April 8, leaving behind her husband, Victor Yu, five-year-old son and twin daughters.
Watson added that he cannot comment on the specifics of the investigation due to privacy restrictions.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) also conducted an investigation into the fatality because “maternal death in childbirth is rare, especially in pregnancies that have progressed normally,” according to a VCH spokesperson at the time.
VCH also told the News that the findings from its “critical incident review” cannot be disclosed “by law, and we still can’t discuss specifics of the case due to privacy reasons.
“At this time, we can’t provide any more information than what we already have in previous statements: that at one point, 35 staff members, including anesthesiology, obstetrical specialists, ICU physicians, and vascular surgeons were working together to try to save the woman’s life,” said Matt Kieltyka, public affairs specialist of VCH.
“Vancouver Coastal Health offers our sincere condolences to the family for their loss.”
David Shao, a friend of Yu, told the News that the widowed father has received the investigation results and a medical record from the Coroners and VCH, but does not want to comment on them at this point.
“Right now, he is focused on other things such as his wife’s funeral, which is set to take place on Saturday,” said Shao.
