A CORONER has apologised to the family of a Fermanagh man who died last summer after being unable to determine the cause of his death.

Myles Patrick Bartley (45), who lived with his parents at Skea Road, Arney, was found unresponsive in his bed by his mother on the morning of June 5, 2017.

A post-mortem was subsequently carried out, but was unable to establish a definitive cause of death.

An inquest into his death was held at Enniskillen courthouse last Wednesday, attended by Mr. Bartley’s mother and other members of his family.

Opening the inquest, Coroner Joe McCrisken admitted there had been “some difficulty” with the question of how Mr. Bartley had died, adding that this was why he was holding a short hearing.

Mr. McCrisken said that, hopefully, he would try and get some answers, but admitted: “We might not get all the answers today.”

Evidence was heard from assistant state pathologist for Northern Ireland, Dr. Peter Ingram, as well as Dr. Enda Cunningham, who was Mr. Bartley’s GP.

Dr. Ingram, who carried out the post-mortem, told the inquest that an “extensive investigation” had been undertaken.

Giving his evidence via videolink, Dr. Ingram said that, unfortunately, no cause of death could be determined.

The forensic pathologist admitted that one possibility could have been that Mr. Bartley suffered from a fatal seizure.

He told the inquest that another possibility was that the car panel beater had a “disturbance” in the rhythm of his heart or some sort of abnormality of the heart.

He added that relatives of Mr. Bartley should be examined to exclude a “genetic abnormality” in the family.

When asked by the Coroner whether the deceased had a history of fits or seizures, the members of his family said there were times when he had become “confused”.

They revealed that, on one occasion, he had collapsed and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

During his evidence, Dr. Ingram told the inquest that, in “one or two per cent” of cases, they never find a definitive cause of death.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cunningham said that the deceased was “reasonably well-known” to him.

The GP told the hearing that he had treated Mr. Bartley for gout, aches and pains and chest infections.

He added that he had never dealt with any of the incidents outlined by his family as, on those occasions, Mr. Bartley had been taken to the A&E department.

After hearing from the witnesses, the Coroner said that, while one possibility was that the deceased had suffered a fatal seizure, he was “not satisfied enough” to enter it as a cause of death.

Addressing the family directly, he said: “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more answers.”

Mr. McCrisken added that medical science had only evolved so far and, unfortunately, there were some circumstances in which absolute accuracy couldn’t be given.

He asked the family to accept his condolences on the deaths of Mr. Bartley and also his father, Myles senior, who passed away in February this year.

The Coroner also requested that the family get in touch if any cardiac issues were detected during the testing of Mr. Bartley’s close relatives.

“That might be something that the pathologist would want to know about,” he added.