Matthew James Hayward died of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome after being admitted to Peterborough City HospitalHMP Peterborough(Image: Google)An inquest will be held into the sudden death of a 28-year-old prisoner whose post-mortem report did not reveal “any abnormalities whatsoever”. Matthew James Hayward died of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in Peterborough City Hospital on August 28 of last year.Simon Milburn, area coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said the inquest would seek to answer if “any cardiac issues should have been identified and acted upon” and “could Mr Hayward’s death have been prevented”. Speaking at a pre-inquest hearing on Monday, June 15, he said the given cause of death may make answering this “not that straightforward”.Mr Milburn asked for a cardiologist with expertise in sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) to give evidence at the full inquest to “tell us whether this was something that should or could have been prevented”. He said the inquest will look into Matthew’s admission to the hospital in August as well as his time inside HMP Peterborough.Dr Paramjit Samrai, representing North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said the post-mortem had not revealed “any abnormalities whatsoever”.He said: “I think the problem with this particular case is the pathologist struggled to come up with a cause of death as sudden arrhythmia is based on exclusion. Something caused the cardiac arrest on that date and he needs to look at the circumstances that have caused that.”He said that “getting the right specialists will be really important”. He suggested an intensivist or general physician rather than a cardiologist, adding: “I don’t think it’s been caused by a cardiac problem from what I’ve seen.”Dr Samrai said that Matthew had been “vomiting” and “not eating” before his death and said: “We’ve got a young man here who should be fit and well, but something has happened. It really does need someone who understands all the systems of the body.”A date for the inquest has not yet been confirmed.
Inquest to be held after prisoner, 28, dies suddenly
