Deceased
Glenda Rae Field
Demographics
59y, female
Date of death
2015-11-05
Finding date
2019-05-29
Cause of death
Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy due to acute upper airway obstruction
AI-generated summary
Glenda Rae Field, aged 59, died from hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy due to acute upper airway obstruction by food bolus while eating dinner at her aged care facility. She was a resident at Clearview Manor, a locked care facility, under a guardianship order due to chronic paranoid schizophrenia and factitious disorder. Despite eating quickly, no swallowing difficulties were identified and she was on a normal diet. When she collapsed while eating toast, staff initiated CPR immediately while she remained seated on the bench. Paramedics and MedSTAR attended; the doctor removed additional food from the oesophagus and intubated. Despite 36 minutes of resuscitation, she suffered severe hypoxic brain injury and was declared brain dead. The coroner found no inappropriate care and no recommendations were made. The case highlights the risk of choking in elderly care settings, even without identified swallowing difficulties.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
87y · Female·Complications of head injuries and left proximal femur fracture sustained in a f…
An 87-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease sustained an unwitnessed fall at a residential aged care facility, resulting in head injuries and a hip fracture. Critical clinical lessons emerged: (1) neurological observat…
54y · Female·Aspiration pneumonia secondary to Alzheimer's dementia complicating Down's Syndr…
Sandra Black, aged 54, died from aspiration pneumonia secondary to Alzheimer's dementia complicating Down Syndrome. She lived in specialist disability accommodation and had a long history of recurrent aspiration pneumoni…
59y · Female·Aspiration pneumonia and urosepsis complicating Alzheimer's dementia in setting …
Michelle Anne Leiper, aged 59 with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's dementia, died from aspiration pneumonia and urosepsis. She had significant dysphagia and was largely bedbound in her final years. After a February 2025 ho…
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —