A four-year-old boy from Limerick died from a “very severe” hypoxic brain injury after choking on a cocktail sausage at home, an inquest has heard.
At Dublin District Coroner’s Court, Robert Power-O’Meara’s mother, Melissa Power, recalled cooking in the kitchen when he came to her “pointing at his throat” on the evening of August 16th, 2022.
Using her fingers, she unsuccessfully attempted to dislodge the cocktail sausage before rushing with him in her arms to her neighbour’s home for help.
Despite “tapping his back” and “squeezing his belly”, the food could not be dislodged, she said.
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An ambulance was called, which arrived several minutes later and transported him to University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
The inquest heard Robert had no pulse on arrival, and it was 45 minutes before circulation was restored. He was ventilated at UHL and was subsequently transferred to Temple Street Hospital in Dublin due to concerns over the lack of oxygen for a prolonged period.
Tests carried out at Temple Street revealed he had suffered a “very severe” brain injury and would not survive.
He was ultimately pronounced dead on the evening of August 22nd.
Coroner Dr Cróna Gallagher commended his family “for your courage, at that time – the most difficult moment in your lives” for donating Robert’s organs.
While the injury caused by a lack of oxygen and blood supply to Robert’s brain ultimately led to his death, inflammation of his brainstem was noted as being a significant contributory condition.
This inflammation could have affected his swallowing, according to Dr John O’Neill, a paediatric histopathology consultant, though this could not be said for certain.
Although it was investigated whether this inflammation could have been caused by common viral infections, these were not detected in brainstem tissue and the cause was unascertained.
The inquest heard the four-year-old, who had suffered several bouts of tonsillitis, had chronic and persistent issues with his tonsils, which were enlarged at the time of his death.
He also had a history of choking on foods, the court heard.
Asked by Dr Gallagher whether the enlarged tonsils could have predisposed him to choking events, potentially by “deflecting” food, Dr O’Neill said it was possible but could not be proven with certainty.
Robert’s GP had issued a referral for an ENT (ear, nose and throat) appointment at UHL in March 2022, on a priority basis, due to his tonsils. After seeing him shortly before his death in July, he issued another referral on an “urgent” basis.
“Two weeks after he passed, he got his appointment,” Ms Power said, adding that she “ripped it up” when it arrived in the post.
Dr Gallagher returned an inquest verdict of accidental death, saying: “There’s nothing really I can say to bring you any words of comfort, it’s just so tragic that this happened in the way it did, and I’m very, very sorry.”
