Finding into death of Mariza Beretta
Deceased
Mariza Beretta
Demographics
52y, female
Coroner
Coroner David Ryan
Date of death
2020-01-27
Finding date
2021-08-11
Cause of death
Presumed SUDEP (Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy)
AI-generated summary
Mariza Beretta, a 52-year-old woman with Trisomy 21 and early-onset Alzheimer's disease, died from presumed SUDEP (Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy) at Royal Melbourne Hospital. She was diagnosed with genetic generalised epilepsy in September 2019 following a witnessed seizure and commenced on sodium valproate in December 2019. She suffered a second seizure in hospital in mid-December while face-down in bed. She was found unresponsive and not breathing at 4:15am on 27 January 2020, with clinical suspicion of an unwitnessed seizure. The coroner found the standard of care provided was reasonable and appropriate, including investigation of her new-onset epilepsy and appropriate antiepileptic treatment. No preventable factors were identified. The case highlights SUDEP risk in newly diagnosed epilepsy and the importance of seizure precautions in vulnerable patients.
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Specialties
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- newly diagnosed genetic generalised epilepsy
- recent commencement of antiepileptic medication
- intellectual disability
- early-onset Alzheimer's disease
- unwitnessed seizure
Full text
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