Deceased
Yvonne Lillian Kent
Demographics
82y, female
Date of death
2004-11-05
Finding date
2007-01-30
Cause of death
multi organ failure from burns on a background of aortic stenosis and ischaemic heart disease
AI-generated summary
An 82-year-old woman with chronic pain from osteoporosis used a hot water bottle at a nursing home. A carer filled it with boiling water directly from a kettle and positioned it against the patient's back without following safety instructions: boiling water should not be used, and air must be expelled before sealing. The bottle ruptured within 30 seconds to a minute, causing burns to 9% of her body. She developed renal failure and multi-organ failure and died 12 days later. The coroner found the death preventable: the carer had received no formal training, the nursing home was unaware hot water bottles were being used, and no safety policy existed. The coroner noted that direct filling from boiling water and failure to expel air before sealing the cap were contrary to manufacturer warnings and likely contributed to the rupture.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Error types
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Source and disclaimer
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