Deceased
Irene Thelma George
Demographics
84y, female
Date of death
2007-11-25
Finding date
2010-12-06
Cause of death
septicaemia secondary to septic arthritis of the left knee
AI-generated summary
An 84-year-old woman presented to hospital with acute left knee swelling and pain. Initial assessment at Ashford Hospital ED reasonably excluded septic arthritis based on borderline blood tests and absence of fever, though knee aspiration was not performed. She was transferred to a private hospital under Dr W.'s care. Over the following days, Dr W. failed to recognise progressive sepsis despite mounting clinical signs: fever (38°C on arrival), hypotension, confusion, dehydration, and severe generalised pain. He misattributed confusion to medication side effects rather than sepsis. Critical opportunities to diagnose septic arthritis through joint aspiration were missed. By the time an orthopaedic surgeon reviewed her on day 4, she was critically ill with septicaemia. She died of septic arthritis of the left knee. The coroner found her death entirely preventable with timely diagnosis and treatment, and criticised Dr W.'s failure to maintain appropriate clinical vigilance and his inappropriate 'do not resuscitate' order.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
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