UNUSUAL CASE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 114, 18 May 1925, Page 11

UNUSUAL CASE

MAN BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

BUT DIES TEN HOURS LATER.

(BI TBIEOaAPIt:— SPECUI TO THE POST.)

AUCKLAND, This Day. That _a man "was brought back to life after ,his heart, had ceased beating for tve minutes, only to die again some ten hours later as tils result of the effect upon his brain caused by the previous collapse, was revealed in unusual evidence given at tile adjourned inquest into the death of Stanley Hales. Dunstan, aged 30, which occurred in the Waikato Hospital last Wednesday. The mother-in-law of deceased stated i i> had beon cm Pl°ycd by the Postal Department as a mail sortei-. Ho was in the postal van of the train wrecked at Ongarue in 1923, and since thon had suffered from nerve trouble. Dr. Lewis, medical superintendent at the Waikato Hospital, said that Dudstan was operated on for hemorrhoids, a?id the operation had been completed sand the anaesthetic masks removed, when it;was noticed that the patient hud stopped breathing. Artificial respiration was resorted tc., but it.was observed that thp heart had ceased to beat. As it did not respond to the usual strychnine treatment, an incision was made, and the heart was massaged. After some five minutes it resumed beating regularly, and m three^quartere of an hnur th». patient was breathing steadily, and was apparently making a good recovery. As the effect of the anaesthetic wore off, however, signs of brain trouble became apparent, due to lack of blood to the brain during the cessation of the heart. The patient failed to respond to treatment, and died. Witness was unable to say what caused the heart to stop after the' operation. The patient was examined prior to the administration of the anaesthetic, and was considered a safe r| skr. Witness did not think neurasthenia was the causo of the stoppage, neither was there any indication of injury to the brain.

Dr. Johns, who administered the anaesthetic, said it was a mixture of chloroform and ether. Witness did not make a personal'examination of th* patient prior to administering the anaesthetic; that was done by the ward doctor, who certified that he was a fit subject. That was the routine of the hospital. Deceased had taken the anaesthetic well.

Dr. F. Pinfold, who made a post-mor-tem! examination, stated he found the heart in a normal -condition. The thymus gland, however, was enlarged eonsidorably, and it was due to this that the heart had ceased beating. Deceased had been suffering from what was known as a "persistent thymus." This condition > was not recognisable in life, and there was no way of detecting it until after death had occurred. It was an unusual condition. Examination of tl» brain revealed congestion of grey matter, due to lack of oxygen when the heart had ceased. This had set up an irritation, which was the final caoso of death.

The Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to heart failure, consequent upon respiratory failure, due to of an anaesthetic, the respiratory failure being due to the condiI tion of an enlarged thymus gland. The j anaesthetic aid been administered for the purpose of performing a necessary operation, and all care and skill had been exercised.