Coroner's Finding: de-identified HK
Demographics
32y, female
Date of death
2024-12-27
Finding date
2026-05-26
Cause of death
Unable to be determined
AI-generated summary
A 32-year-old woman with obesity was prescribed Ozempic 1mg weekly in August 2024 (above the recommended starting dose) for weight management. She developed prolonged gastrointestinal symptoms and took loperamide for diarrhea control. On 27 December 2024, while driving in Perth, Tasmania, she suffered a sudden medical event, causing her vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably through an intersection and collide with parked vehicles and a building. Despite bystander and paramedic CPR, she died at the scene. Autopsy revealed no structural abnormalities, intoxication, or obvious cause of death. The coroner concluded the cause of death could not be determined but identified possible mechanisms including undiagnosed genetic cardiac channelopathy (Long QT Syndrome) with concurrent QT prolongation from loperamide use. The coroner recommended genetic and ECG screening for first-degree relatives to identify potential channelopathies.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Possible undiagnosed genetic cardiac channelopathy (Long QT Syndrome)
- QT interval prolongation possibly induced by loperamide use
- Gastrointestinal symptoms and possible Ozempic side effects
- Loperamide use for diarrhea control
- Medical event while operating a motor vehicle
Coroner's recommendations
- All first-degree relatives of the deceased should undergo genetic testing for channelopathy, particularly Long QT Syndrome
- ECG testing for QT interval prolongation should be offered to first-degree relatives as an inexpensive screening test
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