Wallasey teenager died after ‘one mouthful’ of a takeaway meal, inquest told

Sep 16 2011 by Helen Hunt, Liverpool Echo

A TEENAGER died after suffering an allergic reaction to “one mouthful” of a takeaway meal, an inquest heard.

Sixth form student Chris Smith, 17, of Village Way, Wallasey, went into severe anaphylactic shock after eating a meal of chicken with OK sauce, chips and rice.

Wirral coroners court heard paramedics arrived just four minutes after being called.

But as soon as Chris got into the ambulance, his condition deteriorated and he had a heart attack on the way to Arrowe Park Hospital.

Despite attempts to resuscitate him in the ambulance and in the accident and emergency department, he died a short time later.

The inquest heard his mum Kathryn Smith phoned for an ambulance at 10pm on February 4 after her son started showing signs of an allergic reaction.

She said his lips were bright red and he was sneezing.

Coroner’s officer Donald Johnston told the inquest Chris only had “one mouthful” of the chicken meal before complaining of breathing difficulties and that his lips were swelling.

He also said Chris “had chosen the meal himself” and apparently had done “several times previously, both at that establishment and others”.

He said Chris was diagnosed with a severe nut allergy when he was three and he carried an EpiPen containing the hormone adrenaline, which could be administered in emergency situations.

But despite there being several EpiPens in the house, he said Mrs Smith said Chris declined to use it, saying words to the effect that “he did not want it or need it”.

He did take Piriton syrup, an antihistamine used to treat allergy, and used an inhaler which they also kept in the house.

Mr Johnston said Chris walked to the ambulance with his mum when it arrived but once inside his condition dramatically changed.

Mrs Smith told the crew she was a trained nurse and, as the crew struggled to treat Chris, she was told to prepare to inject him with adrenaline – four times the dose contained in the EpiPen – which she did.

But, despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at 11.25pm that night.

Dr Jo McPartland, a consultant paediatric pathologist from Alder Hey children’s hospital, said he died from anaphylactic shock from a peanut allergy and also asthma.

Wirral coroner Christopher Johnson recorded that the teenager died from natural causes and offered his sincere sympathies to family and friends who were in court, saying it had been a “sad loss” in “sad circumstances”.

Chris’ headteacher was among those at the hearing.

Speaking afterwards, Tony Nelson, Mrs Smith’s solicitor, said Chris had had the same meal before from the same takeaway without any effects.

Earlier in the inquest it was heard that when Chris was diagnosed, Mrs Smith was told to avoid Indian meals and was careful to cook Chinese food at home so she knew what oils were used, in line with instructions recieved from the Anaphylaxis Campaign (more information here).

Mr Nelson added that the death had rocked the family.

He said Chris had been a promising student in his final year at St Anselm’s College and and was applying to study chemistry at university.

The meal was purchased from the Village Fish and Chip Shop, in Wallasey.