Coroner's Finding: McKillop, John Andrew
Deceased
John Andrew McKillop
Demographics
58y, male
Date of death
2021-12-11
Finding date
2022-07-06
Cause of death
drowning due to loss of consciousness from acute coronary event (unstable plaque in left main coronary artery)
AI-generated summary
A 58-year-old man with a 5-year history of cardiology follow-up died during a recreational canoeing expedition. Despite previous cardiology assessment detecting no ischaemic heart disease, autopsy revealed severe ischaemic heart disease with unstable plaque in the left main coronary artery. While paddling, he became dizzy and collapsed, leading to submersion and drowning. The coroner found the cardiac event could not have been foreseen and was likely fatal regardless of the aquatic setting. The rescue response was prompt and appropriate. This case highlights the unpredictable nature of acute coronary events even in apparently stable patients under cardiology care, and the importance of risk stratification in patients engaging in water-based activities.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- severe ischaemic heart disease not previously detected despite 5 years of cardiology follow-up
- acute unstable coronary plaque causing loss of consciousness
- submersion in water while unconscious
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