We often hear about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, where newborns, after being put to bed, mysteriously dies within hours, sometimes minutes. But we don’t often hear about the condition called Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
In Oldham, SADS deprived a newborn of a life with his mother when, two days after giving birth to him via C-Section, she died.
Thirty-five-year-old Lisa Parkisson successfully gave birth to her son Zac at the Royal Oldham Hospital in June of 2014. Hours after the delivery, her family left for the evening.
They were expecting that in the coming days, they could bring Lisa home. The following morning, however, they received a devastating news.
Doctors have found Lisa in her bed at the post-natal ward of the hospital.
She was unresponsive.
Lisa with her son Zac and partner Chris, taken the day before her sudden death; Photo credit: The Daily Mail
“I walked into the room and there were about eight people all around on her,” Lisa’s father Robert told The Daily Mail. “One of them was giving her CPR. I’ve seen it on the telly before, but it was nothing like this.”
Although senior doctors at the hospital believe nothing could have been done to save Lisa’s life, her family have questions still unanswered.
For example, her family was concerned about the length of time Lisa had been left in bed for hours without observation.
They were also concerned about the amount of painkillers administered to her.
“Initial reports indicated she had died as a result of an amniotic fluid embolism, yet this was ruled out by pathologists at the hearing,” said the Daily Mail report.
“Professor Sebastian Lucas, expert in pathology, said the fat embolism in her lungs had been most likely caused by ‘enthusiastic’ CPR. He and two other experts also ruled out pre-eclampsia or anaphylaxis as a cause of death.”
Ultimately experts agreed that she had died of sudden adult death syndrome.
What is SADS?
Sudden Adult Death Syndrome is caused by a disturbance in the heart’s rhythm called ventricular arrhythmia.
It strikes without rhyme or reason, affecting people at any age, even those who are fit and athletic.
SADS often exhibits no warning signs, but in other cases manifestations of dizziness or fainting spells have occurred.
Experts believe that SADS is triggered by physical or emotional stress.
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