THE death of a North-East woman after a routine operation is to be investigated as part of a probe into the safety of disposable surgical instruments.

Elaine Basham, 33, of Loftus, east Cleveland, died after an operation to remove her tonsils and adenoids last November.

A month later, the Department of Health banned the use of new disposable instruments, which had been introduced because of fears that reusable instruments could help to spread the human form of mad cow disease, variant CJD (vCJD).

The experiment was suspended after doctors raised concerns about an apparent increase in complications following operations, and two deaths were linked to the use of disposable instruments.

Patients suffered secondary haemorrhages days after having tonsils removed, sometimes leading to serious loss of blood.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Pat Troop told Channel 4 News that the risk of vCJD transmission via surgical instruments was only theoretical and that it was therefore not considered right to continue using the disposable equipment.

She said: ''Our intention was to reduce what was a theoretical risk, although a risk that had been demonstrated in another form of CJD. During the course of that, when we identified that there were clinical risks, we stopped using them.''

A Department of Health spokesman said an audit of tonsil and adenoid operations in England during the period of disposable instrument use was being launched today.