Man, 45, had taken viagra the night before his death following fall, inquest hears
A man who took viagra the night before his death fell and died in unexplained circumstances the following day, an inquest has heard.
The 45 year old man from Dublin was found dead in his home by his son in July 2016.
He suffered a fall and a small cut to the back of his head, the inquest into his death heard.
The man began to bleed into his airway and choked as a result. It is not clear what caused the man to fall or to bleed into his airway, but the cause of death was asphyxia, according to pathologist Dr Niamh Nolan.
The man had stayed over at his partner’s house the night before his death, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.
She told the court he had taken viagra, which was found in his system alongside other medications at autopsy.
He was last seen alive by his son at midday on the day of his death before he left and returned to his own home.
His partner and son became concerned for his welfare when he failed to returned texts or answer calls from 3pm onwards on the same day.
His son told the inquest he went to his father’s home around 7pm that evening and found his father lying on his back on the kitchen floor.
He noted that the bathroom light was on and the tap was running.
He ran to a neighbour for help and emergency services were called.
Paramedics responded to the call and found no signs of life. Gardai arrived and the man was pronounced dead at the scene at 9.30pm.
Pathologist Dr Nolan gave the cause of death as asphyxia due to blood inhalation, following an unexplained fall, with coronary heart disease and minor sub-arachnoid hemorrhage as contributory factors. The cause of the initial fall is not known.
“Something caused him to fall down, maybe he felt faint, maybe that combination of medications made him dizzy. The cut (to his head) didn’t cause his death,” the pathologist said.
The pathologist suggested one of the nasal bones may have been broken in the impact of the fall, causing the bleed into the airway. Dr Nolan noted that the man had a 60 per cent blockage in one of his arteries and had taken mediation (viagra) that caused his blood vessels to dilate.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned an open verdict
“It’s not easy when you don’t get absolutely every piece of information that you’re looking for,” the coroner said.
