AN INQUEST into the death of a man whose demise was reported to the Irish Medicines Board, due to concerns that the medication he was on may have led to his death, was adjourned at Dublin City Coroner’s Court yesterday to allow the coroner to call further medical witnesses.
Denis Bennett (31), White Acre Close, Ballymun, Dublin, was discovered unconscious on the morning of July 7th, 2007, by his mother when she returned from work, Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard yesterday.
He was pronounced dead at the Mater hospital later that day.
Mr Bennett’s psychiatrist Dr Eugene Breen reported his death to the Irish Medicines Board due to concerns that his death may have been caused by an electrical disturbance of the heart due to the medication he was on, the inquest heard.
Mr Bennett was using both Clozapine, an anti-psychotic medication for his schizophrenia and was on a methadone maintenance programme at the time of his death.
Both methadone and Clozapine have been associated with cardiac arrhythmia, the inquest heard.
A postmortem found Mr Bennett died of a cardiac arrest, but the underlying cause of the heart attack was not determined.
A toxicology screening indicated both methadone and Clozapine in his system and there was nothing to indicate he had been using heroin.
The coroner Dr Brian Farrell adjourned the inquest into Mr Bennett’s death until a date in September in order to call Dr Breen to give evidence.