A young children's cancer nurse who "loved life" was found dead at home by her mum, an inquest heard.
Stacey Fusco, 30, struggled with anxiety and depression after working on a particularly difficult case involving a child's cancer diagnosis.
She worked on the oncology ward at Birmingham's Children Hospital and was prescribed medication after seeing her doctor about her struggles.
Stacey was taking the prescribed maximum amount of an antidepressant when she was found by her mother at her home in Swadlincote, on April 20, 2021, the hearing was told.
Her death was caused by a rare electrical imbalance in her heart, contributed to by the use of her antidepressant medication, StaffordshireLive reports.
Her family had raised concerns about the dose of Sertraline she was prescribed, which was the maximum allowed, but assistant coroner Sophie Lomas told at the inquest that the dose was an "appropriate amount".
Derby Coroners' Court heard Stacey was pronounced dead at her home by paramedics following a 999 call from her mother.
She had gone to the house after receiving a call from Birmingham Children's Hospital saying Stacey had not turned up for work.
In a statement read out at the inquest, her mum Susan Eley described her daughter as "always very caring, very happy and always wanted to looked after her brother; she worked hard".
She said Stacey had been having issues at the hospital - they were short staffed and she was working overtime.
When her anxiety started, Stacey was prescribed medication with her mum saying: "She didn't let this get the better of her. She gave her patients her full attention."
Stacey had been signed off from work and was nervous about returning but felt it was the right time to go back.
On the day of her death, her mother found Stacey's backpack ready for work, saying: "She had mental health issues but I do not
She said her daughter was on Sertraline and, at one point, appeared to be in a daze and once forgot her PIN number. Her mother added: "She was very social, loved life and always made sure the family got together. She was heart and soul of the party."
A statement was also read out from her friend of 10 years, Jessica Arthur, who was told by Stacey she was struggling and had called work to ask for a week off in September 2020.
The following February, her difficulties continued and there was stress at work. Her friend said Stacey was unusually quiet and had lost her appetite.
She last saw her on April 17 last year - three days before she died - when they went dog walking. She said she was laughing more than she had in a while. They talked about suicide and Stacey told her friend she failed to see how anyone could do that to their family. Her friend added: "I do not believe that it was suicide. She had come a long way."
A statement was also read out from her doctor who described the appointments she attended. The first phone appointment was in September when she spoke of a recent case of a child dying which had upset her.
She told her doctor she was depressed and tired. The doctor diagnosed her with mixed anxiety depressive disorder and prescribed her Sertraline, the inquest was told.
Over the course of the next few months Stacey told her doctor she was feeling better but still struggling to sleep. By March 2021, her dose had been increased to the maximum amount.
Her last consultation was on April 7 when her doctor said it appeared she was feeling mentally better, adding it was a very positive consultation. The doctor added she had not been overusing the medication judging by the dates of repeat prescriptions.
Following a post-mortem examination, a toxicology report found she had a higher than therapeutic use of Sertraline in her body.
However, the pathologist said that Sertraline can undergo "significant post-mortem redistribution". This refers to the changes that occur in drug concentrations after death.
Sophie Lomas, assistant coroner, told the inquest: "Stacey was exposed to anxiety which sadly is not uncommon but wasn't someone with suicidal thoughts and she did the right thing and got help.
"There is no evidence that this was suicide. There is nothing to say that it was an overdose. She had been taking the medication as prescribed and that medication appeared to be an appropriate dose."
Ms Lomas said Stacey's cause of death was sudden arrhythmic death and Sertraline use for mixed anxiety depressive disorder.
The assistant coroner said she had thought about ruling that the nurse's death was due natural causes but decided to issue a narrative verdict instead, saying: "The death would be due to natural cases caused by an electrical imbalance in the heart but Sertraline has contributed to her death because it appears to have caused the electrical disturbance.
"I give a narrative conclusion. She died at home on April 20, 2021. The post-mortem examination found a sudden arrhythmic death and that Sertaline looks to have caused an electrical disturbance within her heart. It is an absolute tragedy. It is one of these tragic rare cases with some sort of underlying cardiac imbalance."
