A 10-day-old neonate born at 36 weeks gestation presented to hospital with signs of sepsis including hypothermia, lethargy, poor feeding, and jaundice. Critical failures in recognition and triage occurred: the infant was inappropriately triaged as Category 3 (requiring review within 30 minutes) in the Emergency Department when Category 2 (10 minutes) was indicated. Multiple signs of a seriously unwell neonate were documented but not recognised as such. This led to a one-hour delay before paediatric assessment. The infant was subsequently managed appropriately with antibiotics, fluids, and retrieval but deteriorated despite intensive care including intubation and ECMO support. Cause of death was unascertained at autopsy. Key preventable failures included: inadequate triage protocols for neonates, lack of staff education in recognising unwell neonates, failure to schedule planned follow-up visit by home midwives, and communication gaps between staff and family (no interpreter offered).
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intubationintraosseous line insertiontracheostomylaryngeal mask airway placementECMO support
Contributing factors
inappropriate triage category in emergency department (Category 3 instead of Category 2)
failure to recognise signs of seriously unwell neonate at triage
inappropriate triage in maternity assessment unit
delayed paediatric medical assessment and review (one hour after presentation)
missed scheduled home midwifery follow-up appointment on 3 June 2020
lack of interpreter services for family
communication gap between lactation consultant and emergency department team
non-clinical staff providing wait time information without awareness of clinical urgency
limited experience of MAU clinicians with neonatal presentations
staff unfamiliarity with neonatal triage guidelines
low numbers of neonatal presentations to MAU affecting staff experience
Coroner's recommendations
Additional education for triage staff warranted, particularly regarding neonatal assessment and recognition of an unwell neonate
Clarification of MAU policy for neonatal presentations to ensure all neonates requiring non-urgent medical review are referred directly to the Emergency Department
Consider incorporating parental and carer concerns as a core vital sign in assessment of paediatric patients
Clarify Emergency Department triage policy for neonatal presentations so that a paediatric registrar is phoned when a neonate is triaged so both ED and paediatric teams can respond
Patient information pamphlets and leaflets covering topics such as 'When to seek help for you and your baby' and 'Recognising serious illness in your baby' should be translated into multiple languages in alignment with hospital population demographics
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