Senior bled to death after teeth removed

A 68-year-old woman who was taking medication to prevent blood clots bled to death after having two of her teeth extracted, an inquest has heard.

Myosotis Julianna Moriarty died after being found unconscious in bed by her daughter on December 18, 2010, two days after her procedure.

The West Australian Coroner's Court heard on Monday that Ms Moriarty had a history of heart disease and took warfarin, anticoagulant medication, every day to prevent blood clots forming around her prosthetic heart valve.

In her opening address, counsel assisting the coroner Kate Ellson said nothing unusual happened during Ms Moriarty's extraction and her daughter thought she sounded okay on the phone the day after.

But paramedics could not revive her the next day when she was found unconscious with a mobile phone in her hand.

A post-mortem found Ms Moriarty died from blood loss as a result of having her teeth removed, together with valvular heart disease.

A forensic dentist also found there was no evidence of sutures or gauze packing in Ms Moriarty's extraction sockets, and that she had blood clots consistent with extensive bleeding.

The coroner is investigating why Ms Moriarty died and whether her procedure was managed appropriately for a patient who had been taking long-term anticoagulant medication.

The inquest continues.