Ellen Mercer: Bucks woman died from nitrous oxide gas

Enterprise scholar Ellen Mercer was rushed to hospital after struggling a “sudden cardio respiratory collapse” on February 10.

The 24-year-old girl from Gerrards Cross, died at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough after calling 999 saying she was “unable to rise up” and “respiration exhausting”. 

At an inquest into her dying immediately, coroner Heidi Connor heard how Ellen would order 600g cylinders of nitrous oxide on-line and have them delivered to her house the place she would eat as many as three of these bottles a day.

Ellen died because of the usage of nitrous oxide and immobility which led to the event of pulmonary embolism, the coroner dominated.

Mrs Connor mentioned the dying of Ellen “exhibits how massively harmful it’s to make use of nitrous oxide.”

She mentioned: “Ellen Mercer had been utilizing nitrous oxide for about six months, utilizing two massive canisters a day.

“The drug considerably lowered her mobility, which put her at a better threat of creating blood clots.

“On February 9, 2023, she was taken to Wexham Park Hospital and remained within the emergency division till she died.

“She developed a sudden and really massive pulmonary embolism which induced her dying.

“This was virtually 24 hours after arriving on the emergency division.”

Dr Gareth Roberts, a respiratory doctor, had informed the coroner through the inquest: “It appears totally acceptable that nitrous oxide is included [as a cause of death] as a result of finally, that will have contributed to a discount of mobility and a thromboembolism having occurred.”

Ms Connor additionally voiced considerations almost about the truth that Ellen was not risk-assessed for thromboembolism when she arrived on the emergency division of the hospital – nor at any time within the 24 hours that she stayed within the division.

Though the younger girl didn’t current apparent signs of deep vein blood clots when she arrived at Wexham Park, she was at a better threat of creating them on account of her drug use and the paralysis that it induced.

The inquest was informed earlier that such assessments tended to be carried out in particular wards after sufferers are triaged – not in an emergency division the place Ellen stayed for twenty-four hours till she died.

Mrs Connor mentioned: “I’ve discovered that the failure to hold out a venous thromboembolism (VTE) evaluation didn’t trigger Ellen’s dying – but it surely may very well be totally different for different sufferers.

“Pulmonary embolism will not be an unusual reason for dying and I do suppose that is very more likely to be a nationwide difficulty.

“I’m conscious that docs are extraordinarily pushed and I take my hat off to all these working in such a pressured setting. However it might not be as essential a problem if sufferers may very well be handled extra shortly.

“Sadly, this isn’t the world that we dwell in.”

The coroner additionally determined to difficulty a Regulation 28 report to stop future deaths to make VTE assessments will be carried out in emergency departments nationally.

The report can be addressed to the Frimley Well being Basis Belief, NHS England, the Royal Faculty of Emergence Medication, and the Royal Faculty of Physicians.