Deceased
Pamela Mary Bell
Demographics
63y, female
Date of death
2018-11-05
Finding date
2021-07-19
Cause of death
Aspiration of gastric contents and acute renal failure complicating intestinal pseudo-obstruction and urinary retention, in a woman with hyponatraemia
AI-generated summary
Pamela Bell, a 63-year-old woman with intellectual disability, epilepsy treated with carbamazepine, and chronic hyponatraemia, died from aspiration of gastric contents and acute renal failure complicating intestinal pseudo-obstruction. She presented with acute hyponatraemia and confusion on 30 October 2018. During her hospital stay, her hyponatraemia worsened despite fluid restriction and medication changes. On 5 November she refused care, vomited, had a possible seizure, and aspirated gastric contents. The coroner found no evidence that identified care issues were causally related to death. Clinical lessons include: recognising that carbamazepine-induced chronic hyponatraemia requires careful monitoring; considering pseudo-obstruction in patients with severe electrolyte disturbances; and recognising deterioration early to guide palliative versus interventional approaches.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Drugs involved
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