KUALA LUMPUR, 8 FEBRUARY, 2012: Injuries sustained by taxi driver Baharudin Ahmad such as a bruised lip and a broken tooth could be due to emergency treatment administered on him, the Coroner's Court was told today.

   
Medical officer Dr Murniza Murad, 33, said they could have been caused by an intubation treatment where a metal probe was inserted into the airway through the mouth cavity between the teeth.
    
"In an intubation process, we have to pull the tool to the top to get a good view. This could cause a broken tooth and a bruised lip on a patient," she during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Ishrakh Saad, who is assisting the inquest.
    
Dr Murniza, who is from the Resuscitation Zone of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital's Emergency Department, said a patient's ribs could also fracture during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
    
Testifying at the inquest into the death of Baharudin during the Bersih rally here on July 9 last year, she said the percentage of broken ribs due to CPR could be about 30 per cent.
    
When cross-examined by a lawyer Ahmad Jufliz Faiza, who is representing Baharudin's family, Dr Murniza said Baharudin's ribs could have fractured due to CPR.
    
"But if it (CPR) was administered through correct and proper procedures, the possibility of fractures might not happen.
    
"And if the fractures were said to have been caused by being kicked or punched, the injuries would not be similar to pressure from CPR as they (kicks and punches) are different and more powerful," she said.
    
Dr Murniza said she found Baharudin was no longer breathing while his pulse could no longer be felt when she examined him at 5.10pm that day.
    
"His heart was not normal and there was no response from him," she added.
    
She said other assistance administered to revive Baharudin included giving him oxygen and providing adrenaline drops as he then no longer had normal heart beats.
    
The inquest before Coroner Zulkpli Abdullah continues tomorrow.
    

- Bernama