An 83-year-old man's asthma condition may have led to him inhaling a piece of meat as he had a family lunch in a restaurant, an inquest heard tonight.
Mr John Hand of Naas Road, Bluebell, Dublin 12 began coughing as he ate a beef dinner with his wife and daughter in the Black Lion Inn in Dublin on August 3, 2003.
His wife Mary said they were not immediately concerned as he had been coughing that morning, and she just believed it was his asthma.
Maureen, his daughter, told the Dublin City Coroner's Court that he went to the toilet for a few minutes, where he often went to privately take his inhaler.
"I noticed him going outside, he signalled to me and headed for the door. "I thought he just wanted air," she said.
"While outside he collapsed into my arms."
Mrs Hand said food then started to come out of his mouth.
Mr Hand was rushed to St James's Hospital where he later died. The pathologist and doctors found a piece of meat in his airways. The pathology report gave the cause of death as inhalation of food.
However, his family contested the view that he had simply choked. "I know he was not choking as he would have stuck his fingers down his throat," his wife said.
"He had a pint of Guinness during dinner and I imagine if he was choking he would have taken a drink out of that."
Mr Hand's family said he always cut his meat up into very small pieces and took a long time eating.
Another daughter, Rita, said at least 10 minutes had passed between Mr Hand leaving the table and his collapse.
Dr Brian Farrell, the coroner, said: "It does not sound like a choking episode. If a piece of meat had lodged to the back of his throat it would have been an immediate collapse."
Dr Farrell said asthma was often associated with a sudden collapse and the inhalation of meat may have come after or secondary to the event.
"I am not satisfied this is a simple choking, I'm not certain this was not precipitated by his asthma condition," he added.
The coroner recorded an open verdict in the death. Dr Farrell said it was not certain if he choked or if the food was inhaled after he collapsed from asthma.