Deceased
David Paul Unwin
Demographics
55y, male
Date of death
2017-01-09
Finding date
2018-11-05
Cause of death
probable sepsis in the setting of immunosuppression, a skin wound and chronic diarrhoea following a previous kidney transplant due to polycystic kidney disease
AI-generated summary
David Paul Unwin, a 55-year-old kidney transplant recipient with polycystic kidney disease, died of sepsis in January 2017. He presented with progressive symptoms including chronic diarrhoea, weight loss (16kg in 8 weeks), a gluteal abscess, nausea, vomiting, and deteriorating renal function (creatinine rising from 180 to 381 micromoles/L). Critical failures included: delayed colonoscopy (referred May 2016, not performed by death), infrequent specialist review (one visit in 9 months versus recommended three-monthly), failure to hospitalise despite critical blood results on 6 January, and poor communication between primary care and specialist. When critical pathology results were received on 6 January, the renal physician decided to defer action until the scheduled appointment on 11 January, a decision the coroner found regrettable. The patient died before that appointment. Immunosuppressed transplant patients require close monitoring, prompt investigation of deterioration, and coordinated multidisciplinary care.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Clinical conditions
Procedures
38y · Female·end stage renal failure (Stage 5 chronic kidney disease)
Ms Harwood, a 38-year-old transgender woman with end-stage renal disease, died of natural causes following refusal of dialysis. Her mother claimed the death was suicide prompted by fear of returning to prison following a…
75y · Female·postoperative delirium/exacerbation of community acquired pneumonia following le…
A 75-year-old woman with chronic kidney disease, anemia, and significant mobility impairment fell in her aged care facility despite documented high falls risk and appropriate preventive measures. She sustained a neck of …
41y · Male·heart failure related to exsanguination due to traumatic rupture of an arteriove…
Nicholas Summers, a 41-year-old kidney transplant recipient, died from traumatic rupture of an arteriovenous fistula with massive hemorrhage on 16 February 2016. He had returned to Tasmania under nephrologist Dr Mathew's…
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction — report an inaccuracy here.