A WOMAN who died following a heart attack linked to adverse side effects of an anti-depressant drug was advised not to go to hospital on the night of her death.
A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded by the coroner.
Mary O’Sullivan (64), from Mayfield, Cork, died on December 12th, 2008, following a visit from a GP on call from Cork’s South Doc service.
Ms O’Sullivan was deemed to be in good health by her doctor before she developed an acute episode of vomiting and diarrhoea, which left her severely dehydrated, Cork City Coroner’s Court heard yesterday.
Ms O’Sullivan, who was described as being of thin build, had been taking the drug, dothiapin, “for many years”, according to her doctor. She suffered a heart attack 24 hours before her death, according to Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.
In her autopsy report, Dr Bolster said she found a “moderate or 50 per cent” level of coronary heart disease, which could have contributed to the heart attack, though normally coronary heart disease reaches 70 per cent before causing a heart attack, according to Dr Bolster.
Ms O’Sullivan, who was being cared for at home by her daughter, was feeling dizzy and unwell. A doctor attended her bedside twice in the days preceding her death. She was deemed to be severely dehydrated on the night of her death and was prescribed fluids and advised to seek further assistance from her doctor if required.
The visiting doctor, who was not identified at yesterday’s inquest, advised her not to go to hospital that night in case she contracted “something worse”, according to Ms O’Sullivan’s daughter.
Dr Bolster said that though it was difficult to link the cause of death to dothiapin, the level of dehydration could have been a contributory factor in Ms O’Sullivan’s rapid decline.
Dr Bolster said the drug had been “a very significant factor” in the death of Ms O’Sullivan, though she could not explain why it was present in the body “in such high levels”.
“A touch of dehydration or maybe an extra tablet” could have tipped the levels of drugs present in the body to dangerously high levels and conceded that the bout of vomiting and diarrhoea “was an extra strain on the body”. Dr Bolster said Ms O’Sullivan died of a heart attack, due to coronary disease, on a background of dothiapin toxicity and severe gastro-intestinal illness.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said that tragically, Ms O’Sullivan’s untimely death was brought about by a number of factors and returned a verdict of death by misadventure. It was an appalling shock for the family to suffer.
“Hopefully you have a little more understanding of the circumstances surrounding her death, though you don’t have all the answers. Bereavement is always difficult in these circumstances,” Dr Cullinane said.