Coroner's Finding: ANDERSON Rosemary Joy

56y · Female·multi-organ failure due to anorexia nervosa

A 56-year-old woman with a long history of anorexia nervosa and a BMI of 10.3 died from multi-organ failure after admission to hospital. She was found on her bedroom floor, dehydrated and malnourished, and was involuntarily admitted under Mental Health Act legislation after refusing ambulance assistance. Despite appropriate medical treatment in hospital, she deteriorated rapidly with hypoxia, hypotension and severe acidosis, requiring ICU admission and mechanical ventilation before dying. The coroner found her detention lawful, her treatment appropriate, and made no recommendations. Clinically, this case highlights the serious medical consequences of severe, prolonged eating disorders and the challenge of managing medically compromised patients with concurrent psychiatric conditions.