An Iranian asylum seeker who died in Brisbane last year was believed to be going into brain death before arriving in Australia, a pre-inquest conference of the Queensland Coroners Court has been told.

Hamid Khazaei, 24, was being held on Manus Island when he fell sick with a leg infection.

His condition steadily worsened, requiring him to be flown to Brisbane's Mater Hospital for treatment.

But he was declared brain dead on September 2 before life support was withdrawn three days later.

A pre-inquest conference was held today in the Brisbane Magistrates Court involving legal representatives for the Queensland coroner, Mr Khazaei's family, the Commonwealth, the Mater Hospital, the group Doctors For Refugees and the company International Health and Medical Services (IHMS).

Counsel assisting the coroner Emma Cooper told the conference that on the current evidence Mr Khazaei started receiving medical care weeks before his death.

"It seems that on August 23, 2014 Mr Khazaei started to receive intravenous antibiotic therapy for left leg ulcer," Ms Cooper said.

But his condition worsened and two days later doctors working for IHMS recommended he be taken to a Port Moresby hospital for treatment.

Ms Cooper told the court Mr Khazaei was flown out around lunchtime on August 26.

"Intubation and mechanical ventilation were instituted soon after arrival in Port Moresby," she said.

"He suffered multiple cardiac arrests, all of which it seems he was able to be resuscitated from.

"Mr Khazaei was reported to be deeply comatose with fixed dilated pupils. It was suspected he was going into early stages of brain death."

Coroner still waiting for relevant medical information

The coroner is yet to receive all the relevant medical information and statements from IHMS and its staff and from the private Pacific International Hospital in Port Moresby.

Mr Khazaei was first detained on Christmas Island in August 2013 before being moved to Manus Island the following month.

Ms Cooper told the coroner that broadly the overarching issue for the inquest would be "whether the authorities charged with providing for Mr Khazaei's physical health care needs whilst at Manus Island adequately discharged those responsibilities with respect to the condition of his leg".

"Indeed, it is a possibility that the issue will extend to his transfer from Manus Island to the Pacific International Hospital, but it is not entirely clear at this time," she said.

"There's no expert opinion as to his prognosis at the time or whether there was anything the aero-medical team could realistically have done better.

"Similarly, whether or not the issue extends to the care provided at Pacific International Hospital is also not entirely clear."

Ms Cooper said on current information there did not seem to be any issues with the care given to the asylum seeker during his transfer to Australia or treatment in Brisbane.