The anti-coagulant drug Warfarin may have caused or contributed to the death of a Dublin man, an inquest was told yesterday. Mr Joseph McDermott (38) of Rafters Road, Drimnagh, died at St James's Hospital on December 24th, 1994, two days after he was admitted to the hospital. At the time it was alleged he had been struck on the head with a hammer.
The State Pathologist, Prof John Harbison, said his post-mortem examination showed the external injuries found were not consistent with a hammer blow. However, he was aware that Mr McDermott was prescribed Warfarin following heart surgery two years before the incident and in his opinion the cause of death was subarachnoid haemorrhage due to Warfarin therapy alone or in association with a head injury. The jury returned an open verdict.