Finding into death of Sheryl Yvonne Martell
Deceased
SHERYL YVONNE MARTELL
Demographics
49y, female
Date of death
2010-06-26
Finding date
2011-09-05
Cause of death
aspiration pneumonia complicating cerebral palsy
AI-generated summary
Ms Sheryl Yvonne Martell, a 49-year-old woman with cerebral palsy and severe intellectual disability residing in a group home, died from aspiration pneumonia. She was admitted to hospital on 21 June 2010 after vomiting and was treated with antibiotics including Benzylpenicillin, Metronidazole, and subsequently Timentin following infectious diseases consultation. Despite appropriate treatment, she deteriorated and was managed palliatively with a not-for-resuscitation order. The coroner found no evidence that any want of clinical care or management contributed to her death. The case highlights the inherent risks of aspiration in patients with cerebral palsy and severe disability, despite appropriate group home support and timely hospital care.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- cerebral palsy
- severe intellectual disability
- aspiration risk
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —