Coroner's Finding: NN

47y · Male·combined effects of alcohol-induced central nervous system depression, hypothermia (environmental cold exposure) and alcohol-related heart disease

A 47-year-old man with longstanding alcoholism, hypertension, liver disease, and depression died from combined alcohol-induced central nervous system depression, hypothermia, and alcohol-related heart disease. He was found deceased in an unheated shed on his property after spending the night there intoxicated. The autopsy revealed advanced heart disease, fatty liver infiltration, early aspiration pneumonia, and hemorrhagic gastric ulcers consistent with hypothermia. His death resulted from acute intoxication combined with environmental cold exposure in an inadequate shelter, compounded by pre-existing significant cardiac disease. Clinical lessons include the importance of identifying patients with severe alcohol use disorder, assessing their living conditions and safety, and ensuring adequate medical support and social intervention for vulnerable individuals with multiple comorbidities.