Peta Hickey inquest: Mum of two sufferers deadly reaction during heart scan

Mum Peta Hickey had a heart check at the suggestion of her employer but suffered a severe reaction and died, tragically leaving behind two kids.

Mum Peta Hickey, 43, suffered a fatal allergic reaction after a heart check. Picture: Supplied

A mum of two suffered a deadly allergic reaction after undergoing a heart check at the suggestion of her employer.

Peta Hickey, 43, had an anaphylactic response to dye used during a coronary angiogram at a Moonee Ponds clinic.

The checks were offered to senior staff at her firm after an executive had a heart attack and almost died on an overseas work trip.

Ms Hickey — who had no history of cardiac problems — felt nauseous and was short of breath soon after the dye was injected on May 1, 2019.

Her condition rapidly deteriorated — vomiting and losing consciousness.

The radiologist, with another patient at the time, tried to help Ms Hickey before paramedics took over and gave her multiple doses of adrenaline.

She was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital but suffered complications leading to amputation of her right leg and never regained consciousness.

Ms Hickey’s employer Programmed Skilled Workforce Limited had offered the check, which included a coronary artery calcium score, after an executive a year earlier suffered a heart attack in Japan.

Peta Hickey, 43, died after undergoing a heart check in May 2019. Picture: Supplied

Managing director Chris Sutherland — who has since retired from the operations and maintenance services provider — told a coronial inquest that just a day after the incident he’d had the company seek out a heart check program to offer executives and managers.

This was because the executive who had the attack had a family history of heart disease but a GP told him a heart check wasn’t necessary because he was healthy.

Mr Sutherland was especially passionate about the issue because his daughter had a heart condition which went undiagnosed for years, his father died after a build-up of plaque in his arteries and he too had genetic heart concerns.

He told the court he believed senior staff were especially at risk of heart attack given the stress they were under and their travels overseas and to remote locations in Australia meant quality medical care wasn’t always close by.

“Whenever we have had particularly a near death in our business we wanted to see what could be done to further mitigate that risk or eliminate that risk entirely,’’ Mr Sutherland told the court.

“I always knew it was a very small risk but the consequences of the risk were very high.

“I wanted to get the best heart check we could find.”

Ms Hickey’s manager had asked she be included in a second tranche of staff to be offered the check, which Programmed paid for but was arranged through provider Priority Care Health Solutions.

Ms Hickey left behind two young children and partner Richard Hickey. Picture: Supplied

Priority engaged occupational health firm Jobfit to review the test results, an apparent referral form for Ms Hickey’s scan listing a Jobfit medico as the referring doctor complete with an electronic signature even though he was based in NSW and had no dealings with her.

A section for clinical notes was blank.

Booking concierge service MRI Now had sent the email on helping Ms Hickey secure an appointment at the Future Medical Imaging Group clinic in Moonee Ponds.

Ms Hickey said in a questionnaire before the procedure she did not have a reaction or feel unwell after a previous injection of X-ray dye.

She gave some relevant medical history and was prescribed a beta-blocker to lower her heart rate due to high blood pressure.

The check later showed a normal angiogram and no calcium in the heart.

A lifestyle questionnaire, blood test and blood pressure check were in a separate program given to staff who got the scans.

The Heidelberg Heights woman’s son is now aged 10 and her daughter just four.

The inquest continues.

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