Deceased
Elias Melhem
Demographics
49y, male
Coroner
Decision ofDeputy State Coroner Lee
Date of death
2019-12-09
Finding date
2021-11-30
Cause of death
atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with type 2 diabetes mellitus being a significant contributing condition
AI-generated summary
Elias Melhem, aged 49, died in custody from atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease with contributing type 2 diabetes. On 8 December 2019, he experienced chest pain at work but reported feeling better after resting. He did not disclose this symptom to Justice Health staff when attending for insulin injection that afternoon. He was found unresponsive the following morning and could not be resuscitated. The coroner found he received appropriate medical care while in custody and that his failure to report chest pain meant no intervention could have been attempted. While sudden cardiac death in this context was not preventable given non-disclosure, the case highlights the importance of proactive health screening in custodial settings and ensuring inmates understand when to report medical symptoms, particularly chest pain.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
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58y · Male·acute myocardial infarction caused by ischaemic heart disease
Gregory Merriman, a 58-year-old Aboriginal man, died from acute myocardial infarction caused by advanced ischaemic heart disease while in custody at Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre on 27 December 2022. He experi…
51y · Male·combined effects of dilated cardiomyopathy with myocardial fibrosis and prescrip…
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