Finding into death of Catherine Mary Stephen

63y · Female·Natural causes unascertained; probable aspiration pneumonia with large pericardial effusion and bilateral pleural effusions

Catherine Stephen, a 63-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, spastic quadriplegia, epilepsy, and kyphoscoliosis, died from natural causes unascertained at a hospice following palliative care. She had been admitted to hospital on 6 November 2024 with aspiration pneumonia, atrial fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia, then discharged with hospital-in-the-home follow-up. Her condition deteriorated and she transitioned to palliative care, dying two days after hospice admission. Post-mortem examination revealed probable aspiration pneumonia, large pericardial effusion, and bilateral pleural effusions. The coroner found no evidence suggesting care was inappropriate. The case highlights the clinical challenge of managing recurrent aspiration pneumonia in severely disabled patients with complex cardiac complications.