Questions remain about death of emotionally troubled young woman at Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Karmen Young, 31, passed away at Chesterfield Royal Hospital on November, 8, 2018, after aspirating surgical scrub solution, which she had most likely drunk for its alcohol content, onto her lungs.

An inquest into Karmen’s death was unable to say for certain how she obtained the substance, or whether she took it with her to hospital or found it while in a room at the Royal’s emergency department.

Derbyshire coroner Peter Nieto said Karmen had a history of ‘emotional and psychological problems’ as well as a ‘relatively long-standing’ issue with alcohol.

The inquest, at Chesterfield Town Hall, was told paramedics attended her home address at Newbold Court, Chesterfield, on November 8, 2018 at about 3pm.

She was taken to the Royal and assessed by emergency department teams.

Karmen was known for being a high frequency hospital user and had consumed hand sanitizer in the past.

MORE: Pictures show Chesterfield’s newly-refurbished Elder Way

The inquest was told there was a 10-minute period when Karmen was left unobserved in a resuscitation room, and it was ‘most likely’ she had drunk the Hydrex surgical scrub at this time.

A relief nurse found Karmen ‘slumped’ in the trolley and despite attempts to resuscitate her, she sadly never recovered.

A 500ml bottle of the substance, which was 14 months out of date, was found among her clothing and belongings.

Recording a narrative verdict, the coroner said the cause of death was acute pulmonary injury due to the aspiration of Hydrex with associated alcohol and mental health problems.

But he said a number of questions remained about Karmen’s death – particularly where the obtained the bottle from.

"She had drunk the Hydrex in all probability for the alcohol it contained,” he said.

"It caused her to be sick, during the course of which she aspirated it onto her lungs.”

He said there was no indication she had intended to cause the harm to herself and was most likely ‘unaware of the risks’.

The coroner said Chesterfield Royal Hospital was already looking to ‘tighten up’ the process in which it admits frequent users to the hospital.

He passed on his deepest condolences to Karmen’s family and friends.

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.