Deceased
Linda Christina Mulvaney
Demographics
54y, female
Date of death
2008-06-17
Finding date
2012-09-07
Cause of death
Multi-organ failure following a decreased level of consciousness caused by complications of a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnoea with sedating substances
AI-generated summary
Linda Christina Mulvaney, 54, died of multi-organ failure following a prolonged period of unconsciousness caused by a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnoea complicated by sedating substances. On 2 June 2008, while suffering migraine, she self-medicated with cannabis and both her own and her husband's sedating medications (diazepam, benzodiazepines). She fell deeply asleep and was not roused for approximately 30 hours. Her husband, familiar with her 2-3 day migraine-induced sleep patterns, did not initially recognize the severity. When he noticed abnormal laboured breathing on 4 June, he promptly contacted emergency services. She was intubated at Armadale Kelmscott Memorial Hospital and transferred to Royal Perth Hospital ICU where she remained unconscious until life support was withdrawn on 11 June; she died 17 June. The coroner found no clinical negligence but highlighted risks of polypharmacy and the vulnerability of patients with untreated sleep apnoea combined with sedating medications. Death was classified as misadventure.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
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