Inquest into the Death of Paul Stephen KEATING
Deceased
Paul Stephen KEATING
Demographics
60y, male
Date of death
2020-05-12
Finding date
2022-07-06
Cause of death
atherosclerotic heart disease (cardiac arrhythmia secondary to severe long-standing atherosclerotic heart disease)
AI-generated summary
Paul Stephen Keating, a 60-year-old man with severe atherosclerotic heart disease, died from cardiac arrhythmia while incarcerated in Casuarina Prison, Western Australia. He had significant coronary artery disease diagnosed on angiography in 2011, worsening valvular disease, and was diagnosed with heart failure in March 2020. Despite clinical staff repeatedly counselling him about lifestyle modification and medication adherence, Keating frequently declined medications, continued smoking heavily, and refused routine health reviews. When he suffered cardiac arrest on 11 May 2020, prison nurses could not provide direct care due to a security alert restricting female staff contact. However, paramedics and male prison officers provided CPR before his transfer to hospital. The coroner found that medical care met or exceeded community standards despite custodial constraints, and that Keating's death was primarily attributable to his own lifestyle choices and medication non-adherence rather than deficiencies in clinical care.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- severe coronary artery disease with occluded right coronary artery
- aortic valve stenosis
- left ventricular dysfunction
- smoking (20-50 cigarettes per day)
- hyperlipidemia
- obesity
- medication non-adherence
- refusal to engage in routine health reviews
- heart failure diagnosed March 2020 but patient refused hospitalisation
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