Post Mortem on late Ottio completed

The post-mortem on Kumul Kato Ottio has been concluded.

Ottio was found to be in perfect health and was fit when he collapsed and passed away at the Pacific International Hospital a week ago.

Tissue samples were collected and will be further tested to determine the cause of death.

NCD homicide confirmed information given and said they are awaiting results from the tests.

In a shocking week for the Kumuls, the PNG hunters and Ottio’s family, the Kumuls centre collapsed during a SP PNG Hunters 7km training run last Sunday.

“We took him up to the hospital (Pacific International Hospital) last Sunday at about 5.30pm. In the Ambulance we took him from Gerehu to PIH, he was stabilised, he was ok, but something else turned up according to our doctor. If it was heat stroke he would have been fine,” Hunters coach Michael Marum said.

“The Gerehu General Hospital intensive care unit doctors and emergency staff said they saw he needed to be moved to a bigger hospital.

“When we took him to PIH there were only a certain number of individuals allowed in to visit the patients. We made a decision to talk to Graham Osborne so he could represent us and report back to us, but we do not have enough information to confirm the cause of death,” Marum said.

PIH acting medical director, Dr Paul Alexander said in a press statement, Kato was transferred from Gerehu General Hospital (GGH) where he had apparently first presented and there were no medical referral or transfer notes.

“He was taken to the GGH where he was attended to between 1 pm and 6pm.

“The treatment undertaken at the GGH was not communicated to PIH at the time of transfer, and attempts to contact the treating doctors at GGH by PIH were unsuccessful.

“It was reported by the patient’s attendants that Kato Ottio had allegedly collapsed during a training session, involving road running at approximately 1pm and was also reported to have had a possible seizure,” he said.

He said Ottio was brought to PIH in a critically ill condition, which appeared to be complications of a possible severe heat stroke.

He was promptly attended to at the PIH Emergency Room by the ER duty doctors and the Critical Care specialist.

“He was then transferred to the intensive Care unit for further management and life support measures.

“Extensive diagnostic work up including a chest X-ray, CT brain and several blood tests were done to continuously monitor the patient’s condition.

“Unfortunately, despite all treatment measures the patient’s medical condition deteriorated and he finally succumbed during the early hours of January 9 2018,” he said.

Source: Post Courier