An eight-year-old girl who suddenly collapsed and died after playing out at home had an undiagnosed heart problem, an inquest has heard.

Chloe Walker who was living with foster carers at The Orchards in Bingley, had previously had tests after a dentist noticed her heart rate slow down while having teeth out.

Extensive tests and further hospital investigations including a heart trace were later carried out but showed up no problems, the Bradford inquest was told yesterday. She was known to have experienced ‘absent seizures’ in the past but they had never developed into epilepsy. The day she died, on March 28 last year, the youngster had been to school as normal and returned to a visit by her social worker Rosea Khan, who wanted to introduce her and Chloe’s older sister to their new social worker.

Chloe had seemed a bit quiet and distant but otherwise well, said Assistant Deputy Coroner Dr Dominic Bell. She had a cheese toastie for tea, not unusual as she was a picky eater, then went out to play, the inquest heard.

It was only a little later while her foster carer Denise Askey was pottering in the garage that Chloe walked in and collapsed in front of her.

An ambulance was called but she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at Airedale General Hospital.

A post-mortem examination found Chloe had an abnormal heart valve and floppy heart valve disease.

Dr Bell said: “There is no evidence from the post-mortem of any other plausible cause of death.”

Mrs Askey asked if the abnormality had been identified earlier could it have been corrected. But Dr Bell replied while it would be reasonable to question whether the slowed-heart rate during dental procedures could have been a marker of any problems, it could not have been predicted.

He said: “This was something that was not predictable on the basis of her past history which was rendered complex by her social circumstances.

“It would be inappropriate for you as foster carers to feel regret that anything could have been done earlier to avoid what happened.”

Dr Bell recorded a verdict of natural causes.