A doctor working at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown on the night of the Swedish House Mafia concert last year told an inquest the emergency department dealt with an “unprecedented” number of transfers after the gig at the Phoenix Park.
Emergency medicine registrar Dr Salah Bibars told the inquest into the death of Shane Brophy (21) from The Swan, Crettyard, Co Laois, that the environment in the emergency department on the night was “quite difficult”.
Mr Brophy died at the Blanchardstown hospital on July 8th last year. Dublin Coroner’s Court previously heard he had collapsed at a friend’s home after attending the concert. The pathologist gave the cause of death as drug toxicity involving “ecstasy and possibly cocaine”.
At the resumption of the inquest, Dr Bibars told the court Connolly’s emergency department received the biggest share of transfers from the concert.
“I remember the department to be exceptionally busy as a result of an unprecedented number of ambulance transfers from the music concert held in Phoenix Park earlier that day.”
Barrister for the family Muireann Noonan said it had been reported that there had been 38 ambulance transfers from the gig.
There were a “lot” of people intoxicated, young people who had taken drugs, and the hospital also dealt with six “minor” stabbings, he said. There were health and safety issues in the department as a result of people coming in covered in mud up to their waist, he added.
When asked by Ms Noonan if the situation required extra staff, Dr Bibars said that they had been able to deal with the case load, but described the environment as “quite difficult”.
Dr Bibars saw Mr Brophy immediately on arrival at 3.45am and paramedics told him that his friends had said he might have taken a “large number of illicit drugs in addition to alcohol”. He was administered Naloxone, an antidote given to patients who may have taken opiates. The toxicology screen subsequently found only amphetamine, methamphetamine and cocaine in Mr Brophy’s urine.
Dr Bibars said it was protocol to give Naloxone to overdose patients while waiting on the toxicology results, which could take 10 minutes. The drug would not harm patients, he said.
Mr Brophy subsequently went into cardiac arrest and died despite extensive attempts at resuscitation.
A number of the Brophy family were present; however, the court heard that his parents had been delayed by a major accident in Athy. The inquest was adjourned to January 17th to allow them to hear the verdict.