A man who fell from the window of a Dublin nursing home was not taken to hospital until the following day, an inquest has heard.
Sean Hayes (71) was a resident of Rostrevor Nursing Home in Rathgar, which a health board tried to close earlier this year.
Dublin City Coroner's Court was told yesterday Mr Hayes died in December 2002, almost five weeks after he was admitted to St James's Hospital. There was evidence he had been infected with the MRSA superbug.
Pathologist Dr David Delaney, who carried out a post-mortem, said it was probable Mr Hayes picked up MRSA in St James's and that it was "certainly a factor" in his death. He added however that he had sustained extensive fractures when he fell 20 feet from a second-floor window of the nursing home but his death was ultimately as a result of cardiac arrest and bronchial pneumonia. There was evidence he suffered from heart disease, he said.
The deputy city coroner, Ms Maria Colbert, said Mr Hayes was a resident of Rostrevor Nursing Home. On the night of October 30th, 2002, Mr Hayes was found at the front door of the home. He was pale, sweaty and looked shocked and was brought inside.
Staff noticed the window of his room was wide open. They also noticed his clothes were damp and there was grass on his feet. He was asked if he jumped out the window and he said he had.
"That evening nursing staff felt he was all right and gave no cause for concern," Ms Colbert said. "He was kept under observation all night. The next morning his stomach was distended and he was admitted to hospital."
X-rays showed he had sustained "quite serious injuries" including a number of fractures.
Mr Hayes was in St James's for five weeks and died there on December 5th, 2002.
Ms Colbert concluded that Mr Hayes had accidentally fallen from the nursing home window and, while in hospital recovering, he contracted bronchial pneumonia. It appeared he had also contracted MRSA.
She returned a verdict of death by misadventure.