Coroner's Finding: Steshic, John Norman
Deceased
John Norman Steshic
Demographics
60y, male
Date of death
2017-11-30
Finding date
2019-03-18
Cause of death
ischaemic heart disease due to severe single vessel atherosclerosis
AI-generated summary
A 60-year-old man died from ischaemic heart disease due to severe single vessel atherosclerosis after suffering a heart attack while driving, which caused a motor vehicle collision. Two to three weeks after shoulder surgery, he developed chest pain and left arm pain. He consulted his GP on 30 October 2017 reporting chest pain, nausea, and shoulder pain. The GP attributed the chest pain to his pre-existing gastric ulcer and reflux, and the arm pain to increased use following recent surgery. The coroner found that with hindsight it would have been prudent for the GP to have further investigated these complaints, particularly given that proton pump inhibitors typically effectively manage gastrointestinal pain, making cardiac causes more likely. The death was not deemed preventable but highlights the importance of broader investigation when standard explanations for chest pain are inadequately supported by response to treatment.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- failure to further investigate chest pain despite inadequate response to proton pump inhibitor therapy
- lodged tooth in left main bronchus complicating resuscitation efforts
- emphysema compromising chest decompression procedures
- cirrhosis with hepatomegaly
Full text
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