DEATH UNDER ANAESTHETIC

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 82, 18 March 1933, Page 4

DEATH UNDER ANAESTHETIC

INQUEST HELD IN NAPIER. DEGENERATION OF THE HEART A verdict of death from degeneration of the heart while under an anaesthetic preparatory to undergoing an operation, was given by the jury at the inquest held at the Napier Courthouse yesterday afternoon into the death of Martin Grosvenor, a single man, aged 27, who died at the Napier Hospital at 9.45 o’clock on Thursday morning last. Mr A. E. Bedford, J.P., officiated as acting-coroner, the jury consisting of Messrs H. V. Fulton (foreman), P. Mooney, C. Newman and A. P. Sheehan. After giving their verdict, the jury added that, in their opinion, alj care -and skill was displayed by the medical men in attendance. The inquest was conducted by. Sergeant J. W. Claasen, Evidence was given by Richard Stead, retired, of Hastings, that the deceased was his nephew. The latter was employed as a farm labourer at Kiiliuranaki, having worked there dur. ing the past five years. On November 30 last deceased fell off a hay stack and broke his tinkle, necessitating his removal to the Napier Hospital; where his leg was amputated. Witness was in the habit of visiting him twice weekly, and thought he was making fairly good progress. He last saw the deceased alive last Tuesday evening, when he was comfortable and cheerful. He had no other relatives in New Zealand. His mother lived in Herefordshire, England. Deceased was a single man, aged 27 years, and had been in the Dominion for about seven years. Before the accident he always enjoyed good health. Medical evidence given b- Dr. James Allen Berry was to the effect that on Thursday last the deceased was given an anaethetic by Dr. G. H. Maaka for the purpose of a minor operation on the stump of his leg. Witness had previously amputated deceased’s leg. He (witness) intended to use an anaesthetic other than u general anaethetic, but the deceased particularly desired a general anaesthetic: when witness was putting on his gloves for the purpose of operating he noticed that the patient’s breathing was obstructed. On asking Dr. Maaka to remove the mask, witness noticed that the deceased was cyanosed. BREATHING STOPPED. “I went on preparing and the breathing then seemed to improve for a fc.v minutes, when it stopped, ” wont on witness. “ Every known method of resuscitation was put into effect, including the opening of the abdomen and massaging the heart through the diaphragm. Breathing lusted in a spasmodic manner for a few minutes, but I could not detect any movement of the heart. In my opinion the cause of death was cardiac failure, contributed io by the exceedingly nervous condition of the patient.” Evi lenco that the deceased’s condi-

tion during his stay in hospital was quite satisfactory except for his nervousness, was given by Dr. Golan Haberfield Maaka, house surgeon at the Napier Hospital. Ou Wednesday last the deceased informed witness that lie did not want any anaesthetic except general. When giving the anaesthetic witness noticed that the deceased was very nervous. Witness then described the methods employe! in administering the anaesthetic and the subsequent developments. In his opinion, death was due to heart failure. Dr. Gordon Edwin Waterworth, practising in Napier, gave evidence relating to his conducting of a post mortem of the deceased. Internal examination showed the main organs, other than the heart, to be healthy, except for some slight fatty changes in the liver. The heart was not enlarged, but very flabby with thin walled chambers. In witness’ opinion, death was duo to heart failure caused by degeneration of the heart muscle and the effect of an anaesthetic. Witness felt quite

sure that the condition of the deceased ’s organs disclosed after the post mortem could not have been ascertained during deceased’s lifetime. So far as what type of anaesthetic was to be administcreJ, the final choice rested with the patient, unless his heart was not normal, in which case the doctor would make the choice. In view of the condition of deceased's heart, witness thought, it quite possible that he could have died in the ordinary course of his life if he had subjected himself to slight strain. It was customary to examine a patient prior to an operation, unless this had been done during *he prior two or three days.