Finding into death of Matthew James Howarth
Deceased
Matthew James Howarth
Demographics
26y, male
Date of death
2022-12-01
Finding date
2025-01-23
Cause of death
Coronary artery atherosclerosis in the setting of schizoaffective disorder
AI-generated summary
Matthew Howarth, 26 years old with schizoaffective disorder, died of coronary artery atherosclerosis while an inpatient at a mental health secure care facility. He was involuntarily admitted on 16 November 2022 with psychotic symptoms, transferred to Sovereign House on 25 November, and was found unresponsive on 1 December 2022. He was on multiple psychiatric medications including quetiapine (commenced 29 November), zuclopenthixol, olanzapine, sodium valproate, and diazepam. Quetiapine was noted to affect oxygen saturation and required close supervision. The autopsy revealed severe coronary artery atherosclerosis. No preventable factors were identified by the coroner. The case highlights that young people with schizoaffective disorder have increased mortality risk, and that careful monitoring is required when commencing medications affecting oxygen saturation.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
Contributing factors
- schizoaffective disorder
- severe coronary artery atherosclerosis
- multiple psychiatric medications
- quetiapine commencing with noted oxygen saturation effects
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