Finding into death of Donald Edward Paterson

62y · Male·Complications of end stage liver disease

Donald Edward Paterson, a 62-year-old man with Child-Pugh Class C cirrhosis secondary to hepatitis C, diabetes, and depression, died from complications of end-stage liver disease while an inmate in custody receiving palliative care. He was transferred from Port Phillip Prison to St Vincent's Hospital on 3 July 2011 with worsening ascites, pleural effusion, and hepatic encephalopathy. Palliative care and a Not for Resuscitation Order were established on 5 July 2011 following consultation. The coroner found no suspicious circumstances and determined there was no relationship between his custodial status and the natural cause of death. The case highlights appropriate end-of-life care planning in a complex patient with advanced liver disease, though documentation of the decision-making process and communication between prison and hospital services could have been more detailed.