Inquest into the death of Donald McKinnon
Deceased
Donald McKinnon
Demographics
82y, male
Date of death
2015-01-26
Finding date
2017-08-21
Cause of death
complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer with end stage liver failure
AI-generated summary
An 82-year-old man died of end-stage liver failure due to metastatic pancreatic cancer while serving a custodial sentence. He was comprehensively assessed on entry to prison and housed in an Aged Care Unit where his multiple comorbidities (diabetes, cardiac disease, sleep apnoea, dementia) were regularly managed with physiotherapy, occupational therapy and falls prevention. When advanced pancreatic cancer was diagnosed, the treating specialist appropriately determined surgery and chemotherapy were unsuitable given disease stage and comorbidities. Palliative care was implemented, a 'not for resuscitation' order made after family consultation, and he received appropriate comfort care until death. The coroner found no inadequacy in his care and concluded nothing further could reasonably have been done to prevent his death.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Contributing factors
- advanced pancreatic cancer with hepatic metastases
- hip fracture
- pulmonary emboli
- ischaemic heart disease
- ischaemic stroke
- dementia
- hypertension
- multiple comorbidities limiting treatment options
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