A baby boy whose mother claimed that doctors refused to keep him alive died of natural causes, a coroner ruled yesterday.

Luke Winston-Jones, who had congenital heart disease, died in Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool last November when he was 10 months old.

His mother, Ruth, from Holyhead, Anglesey, claimed that doctors had not done their best to save Luke's life because they refused to administer adrenaline.

The Liverpool coroner, Andre Rebello, concluded that Luke died of cardiac failure caused by the congenital heart disease Edward's syndrome.

The syndrome affects one in 5,000 infants and is characterised by problems with the heart, lungs and digestive system. Most babies with the condition die within a year.

Doctors caring for Luke were granted permission by the high court last October to withhold lifesaving treatment if his condition deteriorated. Mrs Winston-Jones fought the application by Royal Liverpool children's NHS trust and North West Wales NHS trust.

But Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, president of the high court family division, ruled in favour of the doctors.

She said that Luke should not be resuscitated by mechanical ventilation if his condition worsened, but could be given the less aggressive treatment of cardiac massage.

The case went to the high court only two weeks after a judge ruled that another seriously ill baby, Charlotte Wyatt, from Portsmouth, should not be given aggressive treatment and should be allowed to die peacefully.

Both cases brought into question who should decide whether a seriously ill child lives or dies - parents, doctors or judges.