A businessman who complained of having a sore throat died just two days later after he was struck down by a rare and extreme form of laryngitis, an inquest heard.
Restaurant boss Antonio Martin-Melero, 37, had put his condition down to symptoms of tonsillitis when he felt unwell during a romantic trip away with his wife to celebrate her birthday.
But less than 48 hours later Mr Martin-Melero woke in the early hours unable to breathe and told his wife to phone an ambulance. He suffered a cardiac arrest and died on his arrival at hospital.
Restaurant boss Antonio Martin-Melero, pictured with his wife Victoria, died two days after he was struck down by a rare and incredibly severe form of laryngitis
Mr Martin-Malero, pictured with his wife Victoria on their wedding day in Spain in 2016 died on August 17 last year just three weeks before their first wedding anniversary
Mr Martin-Malero’s inquest in Blackpool heard the restaurant owner was suffering from a sore throat while on a romantic break with his wife Victoria, right, when his condition worsened
Tests showed Mr Martin-Melero who had no history of any medical conditions suffered a severe inflammation of the larynx usually associated with young children who have not been immunised against certain bacteria.
One doctor said he had never previously encountered a similar case with an adult.
Mr Martin-Melero, from Cleveleys, Lancashire had given up a career in sales to open Mediterranean family restaurant Mi Casa Su Casa in 2014.
He married his wife Victoria in Spain in 2016 but tragedy struck on August 17 just three weeks away from the couple’s first wedding anniversary.
Mrs Martin-Melero, 27, a hotel manageress said: ‘He was very kind, charismatic and cheeky and his whole life was his family and his business which he worked so hard at to make nice.
‘We had planned to do some shopping but he started complaining of a sore throat and he was very pale and in pain so we decided to go home.
We just thought it was tonsillitis and he was going to go to the doctors.
‘On August 17 at 1.30am he woke up in the middle of the night and he started having difficulties with breathing. He and asked me to phone a doctor but by the time I had got to the phone his condition worsened and he told me to call an ambulance.
Mrs Martin-Melero, right, said her husband woke up in the middle of the night on August 17 and asked her to call a doctor as he was having difficulty breathing. She called an ambulance as she could see that his condition was deteriorating very rapidly
Paramedic Tracey Gritt said Mr Martin-Melero’s oxygen levels were very low and he was having difficulty breathing. Before leaving for the hospital, the restaurant owner had a seizure
‘From when he woke me up to when the ambulance came he deteriorated very quickly. We just can’t get our heads around it. Everyone is heartbroken especially when he was really fit and healthy. To look at him you’d think he wasn’t the sort of person something like this could happen to.’
Paramedic Tracey Gritt told the Blackpool hearing: ‘When I arrived at the property both Antonio and his wife were standing outside the house. He appeared very pale and was in respiratory distress. His oxygen levels were very low and I asked for emergency back-up.
‘He was unable to talk in full sentences at this point and pointed to his throat saying ‘narrow, narrow.’
‘At 2.15am more paramedics arrived and Antonio became increasingly agitated and his oxygen levels were reducing significantly. Prior to leaving for the hospital he began to have a seizure.
‘Upon arrival at the hospital he still had a cardio output. Whilst in resuscitation it was requested that he was put in the recovery position and when I arrived back he was in cardiac arrest. For myself and my colleagues it was a really sad job, just watching him.’
Registrar at Blackpool Royal Victoria, Dr Sukhvir Bhullar told the hearing: ‘I was working in the emergency medicine department when one of the paramedics came into A+E and explained she thought the patient might be suffering from a severe allergic reaction.
‘Upon arrival, Antonio was in cardiac arrest and I made a request for him to be put in the recovery position at which time it was clear he was having a seizure. All options were explored and I tried to get some information from his family and the only thing he had complained of was a sore throat.
‘Within 26 minutes of cardiac arrest, resuscitation was stopped upon my instructions. I have never seen a case like this in an adult before, this is usually known in children who haven’t received adequate immunisation against certain bacteria.’
Pathologist, Dr Dariusz Golka said: ‘Antonio was a fit and healthy man and the most notable post-mortem result was that he had very heavy lungs and a massive Laryngeal edema – his throat was almost completely closed.
‘I believe his cause of death is respiratory failure due to a very aggressive Laryngitis infection combined with bronchopneumonia. This is quite an unusual situation and not one I have seen in an adult before.’
Coroner Claire Doherty said: ‘Antonio’s wife reported him becoming unwell on the evening of the 15th of August 2017, complaining of a sore throat and thought that he may have tonsillitis.
‘He slept for most of the day but during the evening it seemed his condition had improved. In the early hours of the 17th of August, she woke up to find her husband struggling to breathe and phoned an ambulance. As the ambulance arrived he was in respiratory distress and was grabbing his throat.
‘On the way to the hospital he had a seizure and CPR was given. CPR was given however, there was no return of cardiac output and he was pronounced dead at Blackpool Royal Victoria Hospital at 03.18 hours.’
Recording a conclusion of natural causes, she added: ‘Before these events Antonio Martin-Melero was a fit and healthy man and he was clearly a well loved individual.
‘The pathologist gave evidence that this is clearly a very unusual case. Antonio had very heavy and congested lungs showing he had bronchopneumonia, as well as a swollen larynx and obstruction of the trachea.
‘This was a very severe infection of his upper airways which resulted in a lack of oxygen and therefore cardiac arrest. This is a tragic case as he only began to feel unwell on the 15th of August.
‘This must have been a terrible shock for his family and doctors have indicated that in adults this is case is very rare.’
According to the NHS most people struck down by laryngitis get better without treatment within a week – although they are advised to see a doctor if symptoms persist or are ‘particularly severe.’