Coroner's Finding: Tate, Barry Ronald
Deceased
Barry Ronald Tate
Demographics
75y, male
Date of death
2019-10-05
Finding date
2022-11-09
Cause of death
bronchopneumonia
AI-generated summary
Barry Ronald Tate, 75, died of bronchopneumonia following a fall at a palliative care ward. He sustained an unwitnessed fall on 26 September 2019 while attempting to shave himself without assistance, despite being advised to use the call bell. A CT scan four days later revealed a C2 vertebral fracture with odontoid process involvement. The coroner found the clinical decision not to image immediately after the fall was reasonable given Mr Tate's poor prognosis, metastatic disease, and unsuitability for surgery. The death resulted from immobilization-related complications and immunosuppression from prior chemotherapy. Family dysfunction and restraint orders complicated his final care but did not directly contribute to death.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Procedures
Contributing factors
- fall resulting in C2 vertebral fracture with odontoid process involvement
- immobilization following fracture
- leukopenia secondary to prior chemotherapy for prostate cancer
- metastatic prostate cancer with diffuse osteoblastic disease
- patient non-compliance with mobility restrictions
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