Coroner's Finding: Triffett, Brendan

40y · Male·cardiac arrhythmia caused by atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease

Brendan Triffett, aged 40 years with significant acquired brain injury from a past drug overdose, multiple comorbidities including morbid obesity, epilepsy, emphysema and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, died suddenly during supervised hydrotherapy at Kingston Pool on 13 March 2018. Expert cardiologists established beyond reasonable doubt that he suffered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia unrelated to his presence in water and unforeseeable from his medical history. Although CPR was administered promptly and competently by trained staff, survival chances were less than 10% even with optimal defibrillation due to likely asystole and significant comorbidities. The therapist appropriately assessed suitability for hydrotherapy with reasonable safety measures. The key clinical lesson is that sudden cardiac death may occur without prior cardiac symptoms in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, and that an automated external defibrillator remains the only intervention potentially improving survival in such circumstances.