Coroner's Finding: SOLTYS Marie Joyce

78y · Female·aspiration pneumonia complicating electroconvulsive therapy on a background of end-stage Lewy Body dementia and cerebrovascular disease

Marie Joyce Soltys, aged 78, died from aspiration pneumonia following electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treatment-resistant psychotic symptoms in the context of end-stage Lewy Body dementia and cerebrovascular disease. She was admitted under a Mental Health Act inpatient treatment order after developing delusions and refusing oral medication. Following her second ECT on 10 September 2018, she became profoundly confused and non-responsive, was transitioned to palliative care, and died three days later. The coroner found her care and treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital appropriate, with no recommendations for improvement. The case highlights risks of ECT in advanced dementia with dysphagia, though the coroner made no adverse findings regarding clinical decision-making.