Coroner's Finding: Ferns, Patricia Dorothy

79y · Female·cardiogenic shock following repair of fractured right femur on a background of aortic valve stenosis, atherosclerotic arterial disease and hypertension

Mrs Patricia Ferns, aged 79, died from cardiogenic shock following femur fracture repair, complicated by underlying aortic valve stenosis, atherosclerotic disease and hypertension. She fell at home and was admitted with a fractured right femur. Post-operatively she developed acute pulmonary oedema requiring ICU admission. Cardiology identified myocardial ischaemia; an angiogram was discussed but her condition deteriorated rapidly with cardiogenic shock and multi-organ failure. The coroner found her care at Lyell McEwin Hospital was appropriate. Clinical lessons include careful perioperative risk assessment in elderly patients with significant cardiac disease, early recognition of myocardial ischaemia post-surgery, and timely escalation to ICU. The case highlights the importance of advance care planning discussions in high-risk patients.