A Cork city coroner has warned that people indulging in recreational cocaine use are usually not fully aware of just how risky this behaviour is.
Dr Myra Cullinane was speaking at the inquest into the death of a healthy 28-year-old father of four as a result of taking cocaine at home.
Adrian Bullman, of Ilen Court, Togher, died on December 16th last due to the aspiration of his gastric contents in association with acute cardiac failure and ingestion of cocaine.
Jackie Sheehan, who was Mr Bullman's partner for eight years and the mother of their four children, told the inquest that he had been staying with her at Mahon Drive in Cork city for some time.
She said Mr Bullman had been at home with her on December 15th and seemed in good form. He was taking DF 118 tablets throughout the afternoon, he told her he took about 30. He was also snorting cocaine and smoking cannabis. The couple went to bed and fell asleep at about 7.30am.
Ms Sheehan got up with the children and went shopping at about 2pm. She returned to the house at about 6pm and heard loud snoring coming from upstairs. When she went to check on Mr Bullman, she saw "brown stuff" coming from his mouth and nose. She rang Southdoc who told her to ring an ambulance.
The ambulance crew arrived but all attempts at resuscitation failed and Mr Bullman was pronounced dead at Cork University Hospital at 9pm.
Deputy State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said toxicology tests found evidence of cocaine, cannabis, Valium and di- hydracodeine in the blood of the deceased.
She stated: "Sudden cardiac death is the most dramatic consequence of cocaine abuse and the least understood. Clearly, lethal outcome is unrelated to the amount of cocaine ingested, ie not dose-related."
Dr Cullinane recorded a verdict of misadventure saying there was nothing to suggest Mr Bullman had intended his young life to end at that stage and he probably had not realised the extent of the risk he was taking.
