Deceased
Jarrod William Stonehouse
Demographics
23y, male
Date of death
1998-01-01
Finding date
2000-02-25
Cause of death
aspiration of blood due to stab wound to trachea
AI-generated summary
23-year-old man with self-inflicted stab wound to neck presenting to emergency department while intoxicated and agitated. Ambulance noted 3cm laceration to midline trachea with minimal external bleeding. Registered nurse triaged as Priority 4. Junior doctors cleaned and sutured wounds, assessing them as superficial without further investigation. Patient was intoxicated, uncooperative, making assessment difficult. Discharged after brief examination. Patient represented hours later with back pain; intern examined him but did not reassess neck wound. He was discharged again. Collapsed later that day with massive haemorrhage from trachea, aspirating blood into airway. Died from aspiration. Autopsy showed 2.5cm deep tracheal penetration. Expert review identified that penetrating neck wounds warrant surgical evaluation and imaging (X-ray, bronchoscopy) regardless of initial appearance, particularly in intoxicated patients where assessment is unreliable. Critical failure was underestimation of injury depth and lack of surgical consultation or advanced imaging.
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Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
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