Coroner's Finding: Frith, Aaron Douglas
Deceased
Aaron Douglas Frith
Demographics
36y, male
Date of death
2018-09-20
Finding date
2019-09-30
Cause of death
pulmonary embolism due to right deep vein thrombosis following repair of ruptured right Achilles tendon
AI-generated summary
Aaron Frith, a 36-year-old man with obesity and hypertension, sustained a ruptured right Achilles tendon on 28 August 2018. He underwent surgical repair on 15 September 2018 and was discharged on aspirin prophylaxis. He developed a right deep vein thrombosis leading to a saddle pulmonary embolism, collapsing on 18 September and dying on 20 September 2018 in ICU. The coroner found that given Frith's obesity (a recognised VTE risk factor), individualised prophylactic anticoagulation should have been prescribed rather than aspirin alone. The case highlights the need for risk-stratified thromboprophylaxis in immobilised Achilles tendon patients, particularly those with obesity.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- obesity (borderline morbidly obese)
- hypertension
- immobilisation following Achilles tendon repair
- inadequate thromboprophylaxis (aspirin instead of anticoagulation)
- failure to individualise VTE prophylaxis based on risk factors
Coroner's recommendations
- The situation in relation to prophylactic anticoagulation with ruptured Achilles tendon treatment calls for an individualised approach
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