A Newport pensioner had “passed the point of no return” when he was pulled unconscious from a Dundee health club swimming pool, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.
Michael McDonald died in hospital four-and-a-half hours after being spotted at the bottom of the Livingwell pool, part of the now-demolished Hilton Hotel, in November 2011.
A&E consultant Dr Barry Klaassen, 55, told the inquiry that the 73-year-old was “deeply unconscious” when he arrived at Ninewells Hospital shortly after 8am, but was making arm movements indicating problems with circulation to the brain.
Dr Klaassen said: “Everything we could do, we did do. We had discussions with a colleague and Mr McDonald’s son.
“Unfortunately, despite full medical intervention supporting Mr McDonald, he further deteriorated and further care was deemed to be no longer appropriate.”
Dr David Sadler, 51, senior lecturer in forensic pathology at Dundee University, summarised the findings of Mr McDonald’s autopsy, which was conducted by Dr Graham Whyte, who passed away this year.
Dr Sadler said there were no marks or injuries on Mr McDonald’s body that were deemed suspicious, only marks from CPR being administered.
He added Mr McDonald had a “remarkably un-diseased heart” for someone of his age and said the post-mortem showed that the pensioner had not suffered a heart attack or stroke.
An examination of the lungs “importantly” revealed they were “heavy with fluid and congestion”, which supported a conclusion of a “purely accidental” death by drowning.
Dr Sadler said that during drowning, in addition to not being able to breathe, fluid is absorbed into the circulation, diluting the amount of salt and boosting potassium in the bloodstream.
This, he said, would ultimately result in heart failure, adding: “There is a time when, if caught on the cusp of death, resuscitation can revive the circulation, but brain damage has occurred.”
Depute fiscal Gavin Callaghan asked: “If someone is under the water, do they pass a point of no return?”
Dr Sadler said: “Yes, the sooner they are removed the better prospect is, because of the lesser degree of brain damage.
“If it’s about two or three minutes, circulation can be restarted. If left any longer, it’s unusual that the circulation would have been restored at all. He would have been dead at the poolside rather than the hospital. A few minutes would be the maximum that can be endured.”
Dr Sadler was asked if Mr McDonald’s Parkinson’s disease could have contributed to his death.
He said: “It may have contributed to his ability to escape an encounter in the water. It’s speculative, really.”
Dr Sadler added that an irregular heartbeat or mini stroke are “entirely possible” but evidence of these would not show up during a post-mortem.
In other evidence, Mr McDonald’s GP, Dr Clare Brown, said that he had been in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease in 2007 but was “a remarkably fit man.”
As the disease progressed, Mr McDonald developed worsening tremors, slower movement and a pronounced stoop.
A medical letter described his Parkinson’s disease in July 2011 as “significant”, noting Mr McDonald had suffered “considerable deterioration”.
Dr Brown said that despite a “shift in his general health”, news of Mr McDonald’s death was “very much” a surprise.
The inquiry at Dundee Sheriff Court before Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC continues.