Investigation and inquest
On 9 October 2020 an investigation into the death of Leslie Horsfield was commenced. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 29 April 2021, I recorded a conclusion of accidental death. The cause of death 1a) Asphyxiation b) Blockage of airways by vomited stomach contents 2) Pneumonia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Frailty.
Circumstances of the death
The deceased, who was then aged 84 years, was admitted to The Royal Oldham Hospital on 1 October 2020, with symptoms of a cough and worsening breathlessness. The Deceased was brought to A&E by paramedics and because of COVID-19 restrictions was not accompanied by a carer or family member. During the early hours of 2 October 2020, an admissions assessment was completed which included consideration of whether the Deceased had any swallowing difficulties. The assessor did not ask the Deceased whether he had experienced episodes of choking in the past and he did not volunteer that information. The evidence was that the Deceased had previously experienced a choking episode in 2018 and been assessed as having a swallowing delay.
Based on the assessment undertaken on 2 October 2020, the deceased was assessed as not requiring assistance with eating or drinking, a modified diet or a swallowing assessment.
On 3 October 2020, the deceased was noted to be gasping for air following which he vomited suddenly and became unresponsive. Despite prompt suctioning and medical attention, the deceased died soon after becoming unresponsive. At post mortem, the pathologist noted that food material had clogged in the left bronchus lumen. The pathologist gave evidence that the blockage of the deceased’s airways by vomited stomach contents caused his death by asphyxiation.
During the inquest hearing, evidence was given that had the nurse undertaking the admission assessment known about the previous choking episode she would most likely have referred the Deceased to the Speech and Language Therapy Team.
Coroner’s concerns
1. The absence of any prompt in the admissions assessment tool which reminds assessors to ask patients about previous choking episodes creates a risk that relevant information is missed from the assessment and places the onus on the patient to volunteer information which they may not appreciate is relevant to the assessment