A MAN in his 70s died shortly after a fall in hospital, an inquest has heard.

Bryan Perrin, aged 72, from Warminster, died at Salisbury District Hospital on April 24, after his fall led to head injury.

In a statement paraphrased by senior coroner David Ridley on July 23, it was heard that Bryan said he had “just slipped” when he was found near his bed on the floor of the hospital, in the early hours of April 19.

There were no immediate signs of a problem following the fall and examination, however in a statement from doctor Anna Barton it said that Bryan had become “increasingly bed bound”.

As it looked like Bryan’s state was improving, a CT scan later revealed that the patient had untreatable bleeding in the brain.

Bryan’s other medical conditions meant he was not fit for surgery.

Mr Ridley said the jolt of the fall could have resulted in damage to the brain, despite Bryan landing on his bottom, as “bleeding can even be caused by a sharp turn of the head”.

Bryan had gone to hospital a few times before this incident, for health issues including hypertension, thrombosis and a kidney transplant, and had fallen over several times in the past at home, the inquest heard.

In a statement from wife Heather Perrin, it said that Bryan was a nuclear estimator but when his health problems started, around 2000, he had to give up work.

The pair married in 1999 and moved to Warminster to be closer to family.

The incident leading to Bryan’s death could have been exacerbated by his health conditions, previous falls and medication, the coroner said, who described Bryan as “a determined individual”.

Mr Ridley gave a conclusion of accidental death, as the fall was “an unintended consequence of a deliberate act”.

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