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Shannon Sargent’s coronary coronary heart was too massive, micro organism was coursing via her blood — perhaps from unsterilized needle use — and she or he had been using cocaine, all of which contributed to her speedy dying in a cell on the Innes Road jail, a pathologist testified Tuesday at a coroner’s inquest.
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Dr. Charis Kepron attributed Sargent’s rationalization for dying to “cardiac issues of persistent intravenous drug use in a woman with present cocaine use” in a report from her autopsy on July 20, 2016, a few hours after Sargent was found unresponsive in her cell on the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre.
A coroner’s inquest is compulsory when a dying occurs in custody, and the way in which Sargent died is one amongst 5 questions jurors ought to reply, along with who, the place, when and by what means did she die. Sargent, a 34-year-old Indigenous lady, died on the jail a few hours after she was taken to hospital by guards, nonetheless not seen by medical employees. She was recovering from open-heart surgical process decrease than two weeks sooner than that.
As part of her post-mortem, Kepron had the middle examined to verify the surgical process didn’t play a component in Sargent’s dying. She assured the inquest that it hadn’t.
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The enlarged coronary coronary heart — the medical time interval is cardiomegaly — the scarring of her coronary coronary heart and the cocaine use are all most likely contributors to Sargent’s coronary coronary heart failure. Her coronary coronary heart weighed 466 grams, whereas an ordinary female coronary coronary heart weighs 250-300 grams. Hypertension is a frequent rationalization for cardiomegaly in older people, nonetheless most likely didn’t apply to Sargent, Kepron said.
“She was solely 34, so it’s very unusual for a 34-year-old natural female to have vital cardiomegaly from hypertension with on the market being treatment throughout the picture,” Kepron testified.
Coroner’s co-counsel Mike Boyce questioned Kepron about whether or not or not Sargent would have had a larger probability of surviving had she been on the hospital instead of in her cell when her coronary coronary heart stopped.
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“Your chances are increased in case you’re in an emergency room, nonetheless it’s not assured,” Kepron replied. “We see people who’ve cardiac arrest in hospital and though a whole workforce with a crash cart and the entire treatment and machines and instruments that they need to resuscitate any person is true there, they nonetheless died.”
The inquest is however to take heed to from supervisors on the OCDC and employees from the The Ottawa Hospital, along with testimony in regards to the insurance coverage insurance policies of the Ministry of the Solicitor Fundamental and Ottawa Police Service.
Subsequent Monday, presiding coroner Dr. Robert Reddoch and his co-counsels are anticipated to make closing remarks to the jury, which may then begin deliberations. The inquest can’t uncover fault, nonetheless jurors would possibly make ideas to cease deaths ultimately.