A woman who died after collapsing in a river during a therapy session is likely to have suffered a cardiac arrest caused by immersion in cold water, an inquest was told.
Kellie Jean Poole, 39, died on April 25 last year after being pulled from the River Goyt in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire. The mother of three, from Droylsden in Greater Manchester, had attended the cold water therapy session, organised by the company Breatheolution, with two friends.
According to its website the company helps people through “breath work, cold water therapy and self-discovery”. Coleen Rooney is among its celebrity clients.
Victoria Fielding, one of Poole’s friends, told Chesterfield coroner’s court that it had been a mild day but the participants shivered before entering the river as they were wearing bathing suits.
Fielding, who said she did not recall being asked to sign a waiver form, said that the group had performed breathing exercises for about 15 minutes before entering the water, led by Kevin O’Neill, Breatheolution’s founder. She added: “He went up to each of us individually and asked if we had any medical conditions.”
She said that, after entering the water, Poole had been “enjoying” the therapy and “laughing and giggling” but later complained of a headache in the front of her head. She was advised to splash cold water on her face by O’Neill, who also scooped some water over the back of her head.
Fielding said that Poole then fell forward into the water and O’Neill, who will give evidence at the inquest, began performing CPR. She was later declared dead at the scene by paramedics.
A post-mortem examination carried out by Dr Abed Zaitoun, a consultant pathologist, recorded her death as sudden cardiac arrest caused by left ventricular hypertrophy, a thickening of the walls in the lower left chamber of the heart. Dr Damian Kelly, a consultant cardiologist, told the inquest that the cold water, recorded as 10.7C, could have caused an irregular heartbeat that “incapacitated” her.
Asked by Peter Nieto, the senior coroner for Derbyshire, whether he thought it was more likely than not that cold water could have triggered a cardiac arrest, Kelly said: “Yes, I think that is what has happened. It is difficult not to see it as relevant.”
Zaitoun said that Poole was obese, according to her body mass index, and that her heart was heavier than expected. He said: “In my opinion, it is all related to the weight. The larger the weight of the body, the harder the heart has to work for that body. That in time increases the weight of the heart.
“[Cold water] might have had an effect on the cardiac function and might link to sudden death.”
The inquest continues.