A father-of-one who died after he collapsed suddenly while on holiday has been described as "the best person you could meet". Sign maker David Todd, 34, had gone to the Hotel Pantheon in Kos, Greece, with his partner Natalie Price to celebrate a friend getting married when he collapsed on September 7, 2019.
An inquest at Gwent Coroners' Court heard Mr Todd, of Tyne Close in Bettws, Newport, had been complaining of increasing heart problems before he passed out on the second day of his holiday not long after going inside to watch a rugby match. He was taken to hospital in Kos that afternoon but was pronounced dead later that day.
A statement read on behalf of Mr Todd's partner said he was "the best person you could meet" and added: "He was loved and he just wanted everyone to be happy. He loved life and was always looking forward to the next thing to do." Ms Price added that her partner was "very much missed by his work friends".
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The inquest heard Mr Todd had been suffering from worsening heart trouble in the months before he died including chest pain, dizziness, kidney pain, and trouble sleeping which resulted in him jumping up at night and which had led him to occasionally sleep in another room in order not to scare anyone. He had attended the A&E department in Newport on a number of occasions including in July 2019, when he was complaining of chest pain, but had no serious health issues and had returned normal results in scans.
A statement read on behalf of Tim Rogerson, consultant at the Royal Gwent Hospital, said Mr Todd attended A&E in July 2019 complaining of chest pain. He said an ECG was carried out which returned normal results while Mr Todd also showed normal blood pressure and oxygen levels. Witness Dr Christopher Samways, a locum GP at Malpas Brook Medical Centre at the time, said he saw Mr Todd in August 2019 – a month after he had attended A&E complaining of chest pain. Dr Samways said he had not seen Mr Todd before but that his medical records presented no issues in blood pressure, oxygen levels, ECG results, or a chest X-ray. He said there was "no evidence of acute ischemic heart or enlarged heart."
Dr Samways said Mr Todd had been diagnosed with atypical chest pain due to the lack of issues presented in any of his tests while in hospital though he admitted this was "more of a diagnosis of exclusion" normally given to patients with heart complaints without any clear cardiovascular or respiratory causes. The inquest heard Mr Todd's father had died from coronary artery disease aged 48 and that Mr Samways asked Mr Todd about any history of sudden and unexplained death in his family. However he said it was determined that Mr Todd's normal scan results meant he would not be at any higher risk of cardiovascular disease despite the circumstances of his father's death.
Senior coroner Caroline Saunders queried the fact that an ECG carried out on Mr Todd previously indicated occasional ventricular ectopics – a type of abnormal heart rhythm. When asked if this would have raised any red flags regarding his health Dr Samways said he "probably wouldn't have read much" into it as he said it was often the case that patients may have minor issues such as an extra heartbeat which present no serious issues and result in normal ECG results. When asked if it might have prompted any further examinations of Mr Todd to look for conditions such as musculoskeletal syndrome Dr Samways conceded it might have been "reasonable" but that he had not done so given that Mr Todd's results had been clear.
Ms Saunders referred to a "disparity" between a post-mortem examination carried out in Greece after Mr Todd's death which determined he had recent myocardial ischemia and acute pulmonary oedema. She said this appeared to contradict a more invasive post-mortem examination later carried out by Dr Ian Thompson in Newport, which found no evidence of ischemia and pointed to sudden arrhythmic death syndrome as his likely cause of death. She said she was minded to favour Dr Thompson's determination that there was no evidence of heart disease that would have caused his death and recorded a medical cause of death as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.
Saying Mr Todd's issues were "undetectable" Ms Saunders said he had been on holiday when he suffered an "acute cardiac event" and said: "There were no clear signs which would have predicted his death." She concluded Mr Todd's death was a result of natural causes.
In a tribute to her partner following the hearing Ms Price said: "Dave was the best type of person you could meet. sensible and hard working. He’d managed to buy his own home.
"[He was] always joking, trying to make people laugh and entertain everyone. He would do anything for his friends and family. [He] has a daughter, Grace, who’s now nearing four but was 10 months at the time and he adored her. He really was the best father and partner you could ask for.
"He was loved by so many people and will be forever missed by everyone. Life will never be the same without him."
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