"please keep me updated about oximeters "
Sleep Apnea Forum Bringing Power to the Patient
New? Free Sign Up
Then check our Welcome Center to a Community Caring about Sleep Apnea diagnosis and Sleep Apnea treatment:
CPAP machines, Sleep Apnea surgery and dental appliances.
CPAP Supplies
Latest Activity
Sudden Death of 32-Year Old Man --- "Unexplained?!!!!"
absolutely incredible ignorance by these British authorities -- see my emphasized portions below:
"A 32-YEAR-OLD man, who died suddenly following a night out, suffered from a mystery condition which left him struggling to breath when he fell asleep.
The family of Steven Fisher told an inquest that his lips would often turn blue and he would sometimes even stop breathing while sleeping.
Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court heard how the engineer had visited his mother Hilary Jones' house in the early hours of April 11 and fell asleep on the sofa the following morning, while she went to work.
When she returned later that afternoon she found him motionless and unresponsive. He was taken to the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, where he was pronounced dead.
Mrs Jones, of Littleover, said: "When I came home the door was still locked and his shoes were still on the floor. I went into the front room and just couldn't wake him up."
Mr Fisher's sister Joanne McDermott told the court that her brother had previously been taken to hospital after he stopped breathing while staying at a friend's house.
She said: "When it happened his lips would go blue and he couldn't catch his breath.
"We had a fright once before when he was taken to DRI. It happened while he was round at a friend's."
The family thought he may have suffered from sleep apnea, a condition that causes disturbed breathing during sleep.
But consultant pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said this was unlikely as it was more common in people who were overweight or had lung problems.
Dr Hitchcock said that Mr Fisher's heart was abnormally large, weighing 542g, with the usual weight being between 350g and 450g. While his heart otherwise appeared normal, an examination of the tissue under a microscope showed areas of scarring.
Mr Fisher, of Crewton Way, Alvaston, had used cocaine in the past, a drug which can increase the risk of heart defects. But an examination by Dr Mary Sheppard – a specialist cardiac pathologist based at the Royal Brompton Hospital, in London, found there was no connection between Mr Fisher's previous drug use and his death.
Dr Sheppard described the scarring as 'idiopathic', meaning the cause was unknown.
Recording a verdict of death by natural causes, Coroner Dr Robert Hunter said he recommended that other members of Mr Fisher's family were tested to ensure they were not at risk of a similar attack. He also offered his condolences and said: "Steven wouldn't have suffered, it would appear he just fell asleep."
Anne Jolly runs the sudden arrhythmic death syndrome trust SADS UK, which she set up 10 years ago after her 16-year-old son Ashley died unexpectedly in his sleep.
She said: "It is very difficult for families when they lose someone in this way because a lot of the time the answers they want are just not available.
"The tragic thing about SADS is that often people don't realise there is a problem until it is too late.
"In recent years sudden death has been recognised much more as a condition and we hope that in the future people will be screened at birth so any problems can be picked up from the start.""
excerpted from http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Sudden-death-32-year-old-une...
"A 32-YEAR-OLD man, who died suddenly following a night out, suffered from a mystery condition which left him struggling to breath when he fell asleep.
The family of Steven Fisher told an inquest that his lips would often turn blue and he would sometimes even stop breathing while sleeping.
Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court heard how the engineer had visited his mother Hilary Jones' house in the early hours of April 11 and fell asleep on the sofa the following morning, while she went to work.
When she returned later that afternoon she found him motionless and unresponsive. He was taken to the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, where he was pronounced dead.
Mrs Jones, of Littleover, said: "When I came home the door was still locked and his shoes were still on the floor. I went into the front room and just couldn't wake him up."
Mr Fisher's sister Joanne McDermott told the court that her brother had previously been taken to hospital after he stopped breathing while staying at a friend's house.
She said: "When it happened his lips would go blue and he couldn't catch his breath.
"We had a fright once before when he was taken to DRI. It happened while he was round at a friend's."
The family thought he may have suffered from sleep apnea, a condition that causes disturbed breathing during sleep.
But consultant pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said this was unlikely as it was more common in people who were overweight or had lung problems.
Dr Hitchcock said that Mr Fisher's heart was abnormally large, weighing 542g, with the usual weight being between 350g and 450g. While his heart otherwise appeared normal, an examination of the tissue under a microscope showed areas of scarring.
Mr Fisher, of Crewton Way, Alvaston, had used cocaine in the past, a drug which can increase the risk of heart defects. But an examination by Dr Mary Sheppard – a specialist cardiac pathologist based at the Royal Brompton Hospital, in London, found there was no connection between Mr Fisher's previous drug use and his death.
Dr Sheppard described the scarring as 'idiopathic', meaning the cause was unknown.
Recording a verdict of death by natural causes, Coroner Dr Robert Hunter said he recommended that other members of Mr Fisher's family were tested to ensure they were not at risk of a similar attack. He also offered his condolences and said: "Steven wouldn't have suffered, it would appear he just fell asleep."
Anne Jolly runs the sudden arrhythmic death syndrome trust SADS UK, which she set up 10 years ago after her 16-year-old son Ashley died unexpectedly in his sleep.
She said: "It is very difficult for families when they lose someone in this way because a lot of the time the answers they want are just not available.
"The tragic thing about SADS is that often people don't realise there is a problem until it is too late.
"In recent years sudden death has been recognised much more as a condition and we hope that in the future people will be screened at birth so any problems can be picked up from the start.""
excerpted from http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Sudden-death-32-year-old-une...
Views: 24
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
-
I am sure that on top of everything else that this gentleman probably did have apnea, but Mollete is right he was having events while awake. At least that is what it looks like to me.
I would say that the doc in question does not know his apnea very well.
But consultant pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said this was unlikely as it was more common in people who were overweight or had lung problems.
Truth be told it sounds like this guy had alot of unresolved problems. health problems and drug problems. The fact that he had to be taken to the hospital before should have been a wake up call to him and his medical team. Let this be a lesson to the rest of us. We will be held accountable for the bad health decisions we make concerning our bodies. You body is a temple not a landfill.
Mollete said:Sounds more like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to me, which could also explain the paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and (apparently) catastrophic arrythmia, as well as this:
"Mr Fisher's sister Joanne McDermott told the court that her brother had previously been taken to hospital after he stopped breathing while staying at a friend's house.
She said: "When it happened his lips would go blue and he couldn't catch his breath."
which certainly sounds like a wake event, especially since an OSA event would recover in ~30 seconds.
Mike said:
"absolutely incredible ignorance by these British authorities"
Why do you say that?
mollete
-
Permalink Reply by Mike on
-
struck me as ignorant to rule out sleep apnea as culprit on basis of it being "more common in people who [are] overweight or had lung problems": But consultant pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said this was unlikely as it was more common in people who were overweight or had lung problems.
Mollete said:Sounds more like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to me, which could also explain the paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and (apparently) catastrophic arrythmia, as well as this:
"Mr Fisher's sister Joanne McDermott told the court that her brother had previously been taken to hospital after he stopped breathing while staying at a friend's house.
She said: "When it happened his lips would go blue and he couldn't catch his breath."
which certainly sounds like a wake event, especially since an OSA event would recover in ~30 seconds.
Mike said:
"absolutely incredible ignorance by these British authorities"
Why do you say that?
mollete
-
-
fair points.
Mollete said:Mike said:
"struck me as ignorant to rule out sleep apnea as culprit on basis of it being 'more common in people who [are] overweight or had lung problems'."
He did not rule it out, he said it was "unlikely". Also, this is a press report, not the autopsy report, "doctored" by the media to sell newspapers (or whatever), and not necessarily provide accurate clinical information. Speaking of the autopsy report, if this doctor had the guy's heart apart, it would stand to reason he had the guy's throat apart, and been in a reasonably good position to make an assessment as to whether or not he had significant OSA.
CSA might be another matter, but that should be viewed as more of a symptom than a cause.
However, I believe that the most important observation here would be that out of all the people who could be labelled "ignorant" in and around this story, the physician doing the autopsy should be the last on the list.
mollete
© 2025 Created by The SleepGuide Crew.
Powered by
