A 49-year-old Bensalem woman found dead inside her Bucks County prison cell suffered sudden cardiac death during heroin detoxification, according to the Bucks County coroner.
Marlene Yarnall was found dead in her cell in the “F” module of the prison shortly before 11:30 a.m. Saturday, said Dr. Joseph Campbell. She was alive when the prison guards checked on her around 8:15 Saturday morning, Campbell said. She had suffered a heart attack last year while in the county jail, he added.
An autopsy found Yarnall, a heroin addict, had heart disease, an enlarged heart, and high blood pressure, which contributed to her death, Campbell said. Heart disease isn't uncommon among long-term heroin users, Campbell added.
An autopsy found Yarnall, a heroin addict, had heart disease, an enlarged heart, and high blood pressure, which contributed to her death, Campbell said. Heart disease isn't uncommon among long-term heroin users, Campbell added.
Yarnall was on detox watch at the prison, where she had been held on a probation violation since March 18, said county spokesman Christopher Edwards. She was taking recommended medications designed to ease withdrawal symptoms, he added.
The county jail doesn't have a special “detox” wing and the number of prisoners experiencing drug or alcohol withdraw varies daily, Edwards said.
Yarnall was sentenced to time served and 24 months probation in January after pleading guilty to manufacture, delivery or possession of drugs with intent to distribute, according to online court records.
Yarnall was sentenced to time served and 24 months probation in January after pleading guilty to manufacture, delivery or possession of drugs with intent to distribute, according to online court records.
Corrections Director William Plantier is expected to meet Tuesday with the jail’s health care consultant to get more information about Yarnall’s death. PrimeCare Medical of Harrisburg has been providing services at the county jail and juvenile detention center since last July under a three-year contract approved by the county commissioners.
The Courier Times was unsuccessful Monday in reaching Plantier for further comment on the prison’s medical protocol for inmates experiencing drug or alcohol withdraw symptoms.
Yarnall is the second drug-withdraw related death at the county jail in five months.
Philadelphia resident Valene Karaharisis, 29, was found dead in her cell reportedly of complications related to heroin detoxification on Oct. 20, 2013. She had been in the jail since Sept. 25, serving time on a credit card fraud charge, officials said.
The district attorney’s official reported Karaharisis last spoke with a prison staff member around 4 a.m. the day she died. She was running a fever and was on medical watch at the time, the DA’s office said. Her cause of death wasn't immediately available Monday.
At the time of Karaharisis’ death in October, Plantier said that during a normal medical watch, a corrections officer observes the inmate every 15 minutes and makes a log entry. An inmate monitor also makes observations every 15 minutes and logs the entries, according to officials. The timing is designed to keep watch over the inmate every seven to eight minutes.
Opiate drug withdraw can be “very violent,” Campbell said, with individuals suffering tremors, hallucinations, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting, but it is rarely fatal. Symptoms usually start within 12 hours of the last heroin use.
But if an individual has pre-existing health problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, the detoxification process can be more dangerous, he added. Symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea can create dangerous medical complications, such as aspiration (breathing in stomach contents), dehydration and chemical imbalances in the body.
No comments:
Post a Comment