Coroner writes to health chiefs after Sandwell morphine overdose death
A coroner is writing to government health bosses over the potential danger of inadvertently administering morphine - after an inquest heard that a pensioner suffered an overdose of the pain control drug at a care home.
Bridget Cahill died from a drug overdose which had been built up over a long period of time. A post mortem found that the 77-year-old's body could not get rid of small amounts of the drug.
The widow, formerly of Waddington Avenue, Great Barr, had been a resident at Cedar Falls Care Home in Bescot Rd, Walsall, for around five weeks when she became ill last September.
Shortly before that, she had spent time in Rowley Regis Hospital after picking up an infection. She had started to suffer from dementia but otherwise appeared well, the inquest heard.
On September 10, she was admitted to Walsall Manor Hospital after staff at Cedar Falls noticed she was unresponsive. She also had pinpoint pupils, an indication of too much morphine in her system.
She was given an antidote but suffered a bout of vomiting. She was treated for the symptoms but deteriorated and died the following day, the inquest heard.
Consultant pathologist Dr Iqbal Desi told the inquest at Walsall Manor Hospital that the concentration of morphine in her blood was not high.
He said: "It was quite clear the overdose had been building up over a long period but she also had heart disease."
Mrs Tania Mason, care manager at Cedar Falls, described Mrs Cahill has a 'very smart and clever lady'. She said it appeared the medication had reacted to her body salts.
"Her death was a shock to everybody," said Mrs Mason.
West Midlands coroner Robin Balmain concluded that death had been due to the effects of morphine correctly prescribed and administered.
He announced his intention to write to the National Institute for Care and health Excellence(NICE).
Mr Balmain said: "It seems to me right that I should take the matter up with NICE. We need to look at this question of the dangers and why make some people have overdoses, in order to alert others to any problem, if any exist."
