An inquest has conducted a hearing concerning the unexpected death of a 64-year-old woman, Deirdre Keville of Emerald Square, Dublin 8, who tragically succumbed to an undetected food allergy almost four years ago. The inquest, held at the Dublin District Coroner’s Court, learned that neither the decedent nor her relatives had knowledge of her food allergy, which made her fatal anaphylaxis shock totally unpredictable.
The court heard how on the night of July 3rd, 2020, Ms Keville fell into a fatal cardiac arrest, caused by an allergic reaction to a pre-prepared dish of chicken and wild mushroom pie. On July 14th, 2020, Ms Keville tragically passed away in St James’s Hospital.
On that fateful evening in July, Ms Keville was with her spouse, Joseph Keville. Mr Keville, who prepared the meal for his wife, described her as being in a cheerful disposition before the reaction.
Ms Keville soon started complaining of itchiness in her hands after consuming the pie. Around half an hour post-meal, her condition deteriorated, and she appeared to struggle to breathe, the hearing uncovered.
Mr Keville attempted to intervene, offering aid to his wife, who had existing conditions of asthma and COPD, with an inhaler and nebuliser. Despite his best efforts, Ms Keville eventually collapsed.
Mr Keville alerted emergency services, and upon their advice, immediately started administering CPR to his unconscious wife. His desperate plea for her to fight for her life was a poignant moment in his testimony.
The paramedics resumed the life-saving attempts upon reaching the scene. After injecting adrenaline, they were able to restore her pulse.
Upon arrival at St James’s Hospital, the scans revealed that Ms Keville’s brain had sustained significant damage due to a prolonged lack of oxygen during the resuscitation attempts. Medics concluded that her prospects for meaningful neurological recovery were bleak, and tragically, Ms Keville passed away at the hospital on July 14th, 2020.
A study conducted by Dr Conleth Feighery, an expert immunologist, suggests Ms Keville experienced an allergic reaction to the chicken and wild mushroom pie she had consumed just prior to her heart failure. This finding was asserted within Dr Feighery’s report, pointing to tests done on Ms Keville that measured her tryptase levels, a common technique used to validate an anaphylactic reaction.
It was discussed in court that Ms Keville didn’t have any records indicating food allergies. However, an antihistamine named Cetirizine, which is often used to treat hay fever, was a previous prescription of hers.
As per Dr Clare Keane, the Coroner, the cause of death was indeed anaphylaxis incited by a food allergen, considering the evidence presented in court. She was unable to pinpoint the exact food allergen that triggered the reaction in Ms Keville.
Dr Keane acknowledged that Ms Keville was promptly given an adrenaline shot, highlighting the importance of quick adrenaline administering when dealing with anaphylaxis. In general terms, she argued that there are minuscule shortcomings in administering adrenaline early when treating anaphylaxis, asserting that it should be administered if there’s any uncertainty.
Upon evaluating the narrative of the unfortunate demise of Ms Keville, who was unaware of her allergy, Dr Keane delivered the verdict. The recorded cause of death was cerebral hypoxia followed by a heart arrest due to anaphylaxis.
The coroner showed sympathy to Ms Keville’s grieving family, several of whom were present in the courtroom, and acknowledged that this unexpected loss was indeed tragic. Mr Keville, her spouse, expressed his sentiments about the wonderful life they had shared together and her perpetual support to the family. “She should still be beside us,” he grieved.