Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER

A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.

A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.

“I am relieved,” said Lisbeth Lippert, his widow, after learning of the coroner’s investigation. “I want to know why he was left alone for a long period when he was under such duress.”

David Lippert, a local executive, was taken to emergency in Kitchener, Ont., in March of 2023. He was feeling weak and had awoken unable to walk.

Medical records reveal blood tests showed dangerously low hemoglobin levels, with doctors suggesting he was suffering from a gastrointestinal bleed. Lippert told his wife he was afraid to stay in hospital, and initially rejected admission.

But he agreed to be admitted to St. Mary’s General Hospital after blood transfusions failed to boost his blood levels.

However, while waiting for admission overnight, medical notes show Lippert was found unresponsive by hospital staff in the ER, having vomited blood while lying on a stretcher. His heart had stopped.

Medical teams gave him four rounds of CPR. He was taken to the ICU, but doctors there found him non-responsive. He also suffered seizures and had signs of brain damage from an extended lack of oxygen. He was pronounced dead the day after he came to hospital.