Finding into death of Catherine Barker

60y · Female·Tachyarrhythmia and hyperkalaemia leading to sudden cardiac death in the setting of atrial fibrillation

Catherine Barker, a 60-year-old woman with intellectual disability living in supported accommodation, died from tachyarrhythmia and hyperkalaemia leading to sudden cardiac death in atrial fibrillation. She had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation six months prior and experienced functional decline following a leg fracture. On 13 March 2023, after two falls in her new accommodation, staff and her visiting sister recognised she was short of breath and confused, appropriately deciding to seek emergency care. She deteriorated rapidly in the ED before transfer could be arranged. The coroner found no want of clinical management by either the SIL provider or hospital staff that caused or contributed to her death. The death resulted from natural causes with no preventable factors identified.