Family still in dark as inquest hears experts unclear on cause of Cork student's death
The distraught parents of a healthy 20-year-old student who died suddenly in a hospital emergency department (ED) still don’t know why their daughter died following an inquest today.
Unfortunately for Carlos and Gwen Dasco, the death of Denisse Kyle Dasco, who had “no significant medical history”, falls within the five percent of cases where there is “no absolute diagnosis”.
Despite in-depth analysis of tissue from the deceased by multiple experts at home and abroad, assistant state pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said the cause of death was “unascertained”.
Sudden arrhythmic death, pulmonary embolism (clot in the lung) and toxic shock were considered on foot of expert reviews but Dr Bolster said as far as she was concerned the cause of death was not determined and she was “only speculating on the other three”.
“It’s very unfortunate that we cannot pinpoint the cause of death,” she said. “This case is just so unusual.”
The third year forensic science student was admitted to the Mercy University Hospital by ambulance just before 10am on 21 April 2017 complaining of back pain.
She told medical staff that she had bent down to pick something up at work the night before and hurt her back, so much so that it had awoken her during the night.
Emergency medicine consultant at MUH, Dr Adrian Murphy, gave an overview of what happened to Ms Dasco at the hospital although he was not in attendance on the day in question.
He said “something catastrophic happened in or around 9.45pm” and the most senior emergency medicine consultant was called in and staff swung into full emergency mode. Unfortunately, nothing could be done for Ms Dasco.
Dr Murphy said in 15 years of clinical practise, he had never encountered a case like Ms Dasco’s. Even with the benefit of hindsight, he couldn’t say what he would have done differently, he said.
“I’ve reviewed all of this and I can’t think of anything I would have done differently that would have changed the trajectory of the outcome,” he said.
Dr Bolster said it was “a complex case and multiple experts were consulted”. She said there was no ethanol (alcohol) detected in Ms Dasco and no drugs other than therapeutic medication. She said an “usual feature” of the case was the “relatively advanced state of decomposition of the body” when she conducted her inquest on April 24.
Dr Bolster said consultant histopathologist Professor Sebastian Lucas at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London had reviewed the whole case and considered the possibility of sudden arrhythmic death once pulmonary embolism was excluded. Also the possibility of sepsis “more what we call toxic shock” but they were “only a possibility”.
Barrister Colmán Ó Donnchadha, for the Dasco family, asked if Dr Bolster was saying there were three possibilities, but Dr Bolster saiid “My cause of death is unascertained.”
Mr Comyn said he was recording an “open verdict” in the case of the death of Ms Dasco, of
47 Russell Court, Fr Russell Road, Raheen, Limerick. He extended his sympathy to the family on foot of this “very sudden and tragic death”.
Ms Dasco’s family were not commenting to the media and asked that their privacy be respected. They had previously raised concerns about the lack of information coming from MUH in relation to their daughter’s death but Mr Comyn said this was because his coronial investigation was underway and he wanted to avoid any incorrect information being given out that might cause “additional upset”.
