Doctors removed a 20 cent coin from the windpipe of a 78-year-old man who later died, an inquest heard.
The man’s daughter and carer wept at Dublin Coroner’s Court as she was told his death was not linked to his ingestion of the coin.
"I'm just so relieved to know I couldn't have done anymore than I did," Bernie Dolan told the court.
The woman's father, Thomas 'Tony' O'Brien of Rosemount Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14 never mentioned ingesting the coin, Dublin Coroner's Court heard.
He had difficulty swallowing and his daughter liquefied his food for him.
“He had one large tablet which he had to suck and it would dissolve. He left everything ready so the only thing I can think of is he put the tablet down on top of the coin and put both in his mouth together without realising it,” Mrs Dolan said.
Mr O’Brien went to see his GP in April 2015 suffering from shortness of breath and a general deterioration of his heath.
The GP identified a possible infection in his lower lung and referred him to St Vincent’s Hospital. An X-ray revealed the presence of a foreign body and Mr O’Brien was initially treated with antibiotics. The coin became a source of humour for the family.
“It was a joke to him, he was laughing about it and saying things like, ‘I wouldn’t mind but I can’t afford it,’” Mrs Dolan said.
The coin was removed and returned to Mr O’Brien.
“It was a 20 cent coin. They took it out and gave it back to him in a jar. He was laughing. But his breath was getting worse, he was a very sick man,” she added.
Despite doctors best efforts, Mr O’Brien’s condition continued to deteriorate and he was moved to the intensive care unit. He died on May 5th, 2015.
A postmortem, carried out due to the removal of the coin, revealed he had developed an infection that occurs only in cases of a compromised immune system.
The cause of death was pneumonia due to an infection known as herpetic esophagitis which is thought to have caused a hole at the back of the left main windpipe. As a result, the infection spread into Mr O’Brien’s lungs and caused pneumonia.
"The role of the ingested coin and how it came to be lodged is not clear...it does not seem to have played any part at all," Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said, returning a verdict of death by natural causes.