Raymond Michael O’Connor, 40, died at Queen’s Hospital, Romford, two days after the discovery.
An inquest into his death was formally opened at East London Coroner’s Court, Walthamstow, on Wednesday (January 8).
Coroner’s officer Jean Smyth told the court Mr O’Connor was admitted to the hospital on August 2.
She said: “His wife had seen that he had collapsed at home,” which was in Suttons Avenue, Hornchurch.
He was taken to Queen’s by ambulance but died on August 4.
Police deemed his death non-suspicious and referred it to the coroner service, which ordered a post-mortem examination, carried out at Queen’s.
A pathologist has since given Mr O’Connor’s cause of death as “acute cocaine toxicity”.
“I’m satisfied on those facts this death occurred in circumstances requiring an inquest,” said coroner Nadia Persaud.
Inquests are held in the public interest to investigate how unnatural deaths occurred and whether future similar deaths may be preventable.
She said Mr O’Connor’s family would be legally designated “interested persons”, giving them the right to interrogate evidence before the inquest and question any witnesses called to testify.
She asked them to provide a background statement “about who Mr O’Connor was in life, his family structure, his job, his health – both mental health and physical health – and, if they have any specific concerns surrounding his death, details of those concerns.”
Mrs Persaud made a number of orders for disclosure of evidence, including GP records, particularly “if the GP provided any care in relation to substance abuse”.
“If he was under the services of a drug and alcohol agency, then I would also like a report from them,” the coroner said, adding that she would require statements from police, explaining the decision to deem Mr O’Connor’s death non-suspicious.
The final inquest was provisionally scheduled for July 4.
