Doctor frantically shouted for ambulance twice before Joseph Pham’s death at Defqon. 1
An inquest has heard how an emergency doctor shouted for an ambulance twice as he attempted to revive Joseph Pham whose mouth was “wired shut” before his death at Defqon. 1 music festival. He also said more doctors were needed on that day.
NSW
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An emergency doctor left in charge of the chaotic medical tent at the Defqon. 1 music festival shouted out for an ambulance twice amid frantic efforts to resuscitate reveller Joseph Pham — but was not given one for an hour, an inquest into festival deaths was told.
Doctor Andrew Beshara told of the constant stream of patrons treated at the only medical tent at the 30,000-strong crowd Sydney event.
His account came on Tuesday as a drugs expert warned pill testing alone wouldn’t solve the crisis.
One of only two doctors at Defqon. 1, Dr Beshara told the court he was frantically attending an asthma attack patient and reveller suffering from MDMA-induced psychosis when Joseph, 23, arrived unconscious at the resuscitation bay at 7.34pm last September.
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Senior doctor in charge Sean Wing was busy treating unconscious festival patron Diana Nguyen, who had taken two MDMA capsules, when Dr Beshara urged the head of medical support company Event Medical Services to call for an ambulance.
“It was extremely busy, I didn’t have an official break, that day was incredibly windy, I was treating everyone, a lot of dehydration, I was managing a psychosis post MDMA ingestion and an asthma attack, I was too busy treating patients,” he told the inquest into six festival deaths yesterday.
He said he rushed over as paramedics searched Joseph’s clothing to see what he had ingested.
“He was unresponsive with dilated pupils, he had high potassium levels which could be fatal — he was having an adverse reaction to MDMA,” Dr Beshara said.
“His jaw was wired shut, his arms and legs were tensed up, he was stiff.
“He needed to be transferred to hospital from the moment he arrived, I had that conversation shortly after seeing Joseph (with EMS leader Mike Hammond).”
Attempts to oxygenate Joseph through the mouth failed because of muscle spasms, the inquest at Lidcombe heard.
Paramedics inserted a nasopharyngeal airway device through his nostril.
At around 7.40pm — six minutes later — Diana was carried into the tent.
At 8.18pm Dr Beshara said he “urgently” asked again for EMS director Mike Hammond to arrange an ambulance: “I said, ‘we need to get the patient (Joseph) to ED’.
“It was loud in the tent, I was speaking sufficiently loudly to be heard.”
Ice packs, adrenaline and oxygen were administered but he went into cardiac arrest with a temperature of 39.5 degrees.
Joseph was transported by ambulance to Nepean Hospital at 8.24pm. Resuscitation efforts failed to save him.
Recalling the stress of the festival at Sydney International Regatta Centre on 15 September, Dr Beshara said: “I accept he should have been transferred sooner.
“When Dr Wing left (with Diana), I was effectively in charge, I was nervous, it was stressful, but that’s the nature of the tough job.
“I was not expecting to lead resuscitation on my own.
“There was a lack of co-ordination between EMS and NSW Ambulance.”
Asked by counsel assisting the coroner, Peggy Dwyer, whether he would work Defqon. 1 again, he replied, “this is the first and last time … there should have been a lot more staff.
“If there are two beds, there should have been two doctors per bed.”
Diana, 21, arrived at the tent six minutes after Joseph, at 7.40pm, but was taken by ambulance to Nepean Hospital at 10.17pm. Ice packs, adrenaline and oxygen failed to stop her going into cardiac arrest with a temperature of 39.5 degrees and dying on the way to hospital.
The two-week inquest is examining the drug deaths of four other festival goers at NSW events over the past two summers: 19-year-old Alex Ross-King, Callum Brosnan, also 19, Hoang Trang, 18, and Joshua Tam, 22.
Despite the deaths sparking calls for pill-testing, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia’s Paul Dillon warned such measures alone would not stem similar tragedies.
“Kits only test for the purity of a drug, you get the result you want, but they do not identify adulterants,” he told the inquest.
“Information alone is not useful, it’s better that it comes with education.
“It’s ludicrous to say if you have pill testing no one is going to die.”
Originally published as Doctor frantically shouted for ambulance twice before Joseph Pham’s death at Defqon. 1
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