Fourteen-month-old child died after being given methadone, coroner finds | gmitch_news
A toddler died at a home in Sydney’s north-west after he was given a dose of the drug methadone in such a high concentration that it would have been fatal for an adult, a coroner has found.
An autopsy found the toddler had a blood concentration of methadone within the reported fatal range for adults and his cause of death was found to be methadone toxicity. “As the toxic effects of methadone cause sedation and suppress respiratory efforts, the administration of methadone to [the boy] had the unintended consequence of causing his death. The manner of [his] death is, therefore, homicide.”
“By all accounts, [he] was a happy, healthy and active toddler,” Lee said. “There is little doubt that [the boy] brought much joy to those who loved him the most, and that his heartbreaking loss is still felt most deeply.”The boy’s mother had been taking methadone for about 10 years before he was born, and his stepfather had been taking it for a longer period of time.
A forensic clinician from The Children’s Hospital at Westmead told police it is unlikely the toddler would have known how to push down the plunger on a syringe to access what was inside, and if he had been able to squirt methadone in his mouth he would likely have spat it out because of its bitter taste.
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