Lower Hutt spa pool death: Coroner reminds public of risks associated with high blood pressure
A coroner has reminded the public of the dangers of having high blood pressure and using a spa pool after a 78-year-old man was found dead in his pool.
Raymond Hugh Austin Gough, of Lower Hutt, was found motionless in his spa pool on July 22, 2020, after his son arrived to check on him.
Gough’s partner had not spoken with him by phone in two days and was concerned for his welfare, leading to the son’s visit, according to a coroner’s findings released today.
The retiree had a medical history that included high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, chronic kidney impairment and a previously abnormal ECG reading.
The death was referred to coroner Mark Wilton, who concluded that an inquest was not necessary, instead assessing the evidence on the papers.
His findings said Gough used the spa pool twice a day and it was set to a temperature of 40.5C.
A post-mortem examination found no obvious injuries on Gough’s body, and police told the coroner they did not believe there were any suspicious circumstances.
The doctor who conducted the post-mortem gave evidence that sudden cardiac arrest while in a spa was a well-described phenomenon.
The coroner concluded Gough died as a result of a sudden cardiac arrest, attributable to the warm water of the spa pool.
He referred to a previous decision in which another coroner had issued a reminder of the risk of people with raised blood pressure using spa pools, particularly when consuming alcohol.
In that case, coroner Marcus Elliott found an 80-year-old woman with raised blood pressure, who had recently drunk alcohol, died at her home in a spa pool that was operating at 41.5C.
Winton endorsed Elliott’s comment, released in findings in November last year, that people with elevated blood pressure were at risk of sudden cardiac arrest when using a spa pool, particularly after drinking alcohol.
In a separate incident, a 67-year-old woman died after drinking alcohol before and during a soak in a spa pool.
In Gough’s case, there was no evidence of significant alcohol consumption.
According to a death notice at the time, he was much loved by his friends and family and in swimming and surf lifesaving circles.
Ethan Griffiths covers crime and justice stories nationwide for Open Justice. He joined NZME in 2020, previously working as a regional reporter in Whanganui and South Taranaki.