GPs should tell patients to say if they are on oral contraceptives when asked about their medical history, a Perth coroner has advised, after the sudden death of a young dancer with a heart condition.
Petra Zele, 28, died in June 2010 from a hypoxic brain injury preceded by a cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism.
The talented dancer, who dreamed of being a world-famous ballerina and had only just married, collapsed on her way to Fremantle Hospital where she had an echocardiogram shortly before her death.
On the basis of family history and the events surrounding her death, two experts told a West Australian Coroner’s Court inquest that it was highly probable Ms Zele had a genetic mutation that made her more likely to suffer a venous thrombosis.
Five per cent of the population have the mutation.
Ms Zele was also using oral contraceptives, which compounds the risk of suffering a venous thrombosis.
The court heard she had presented at Fremantle Hospital with chest pains and was incorrectly assessed as having no risk of pulmonary embolism, despite her risk being about 10 per cent.
Ms Zele’s chest pain had been attributed to musculoskeletal pain, but she should have been questioned more closely about her medications.
“More needs to be done to alert patients to the need to tell their doctor about what they might consider routine medication, in this case, the oral contraceptive pill,” coroner Sarah Helen Linton said.
She said the outcome of the case was likely preventable and it was hoped lessons would be learnt from the tragedy.
AAP