Deceased
DONNA MARIA MOUSLEY
Demographics
46y, female
Coroner
Deputy State Coroner Iain West
Date of death
2010-11-12
Finding date
2012-06-08
Cause of death
Hypoxic brain injury due to combined drug toxicity
AI-generated summary
Donna Mousley, aged 46 years with long-standing panadeine forte and diazepam dependence, presented to an addiction medicine specialist seeking management. Dr C. prescribed methadone 40mg on 9 November 2010 after consultation. She commenced methadone despite having taken codeine earlier that day. On 11 November, after her third methadone dose (45mg), she became unresponsive with respiratory depression and was found in cardiac arrest. She suffered hypoxic brain injury and died. Toxicology revealed multiple drugs at low levels including methadone, diazepam, citalopram, and verapamil. The coroner found the death resulted from combined drug toxicity rather than methadone alone. Dr C.'s critical failure was not explicitly advising a 36-hour washout period after the final codeine dose before methadone commencement, increasing overdose risk. The coroner found no basis to criticise any health professional and did not make an AHPRA referral.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
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31y · Male·mixed drug toxicity (methadone, diazepam, pregabalin, promethazine, pizotifen)
A 31-year-old man subject to a post-sentence supervision order died from mixed drug toxicity (methadone, diazepam, pregabalin, promethazine, pizotifen) at a residential facility. He was a vulnerable person with acquired …
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