Finding into death of Kerrie Terese Berlowitz
Deceased
Kerrie Terese Berlowitz
Demographics
78y, female
Date of death
2025-07-31
Finding date
2026-06-26
Cause of death
Hypernatraemia in the setting of lowered oral intake
AI-generated summary
Kerrie Berlowitz, 78, with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability, died of hypernatraemia (severe sodium elevation) due to dehydration. Living in supported disability accommodation in Carrum, she progressively refused meals from January 2025 onwards. Despite GP review on 11 July and dietary adjustments, she continued to decline. On 23 July, she had a choking incident and was admitted to Frankston Hospital with severe dehydration, hypernatraemia, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and possible aspiration pneumonia. Despite treatment with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, anti-acid medication and blood transfusion, her condition did not improve. She died on 31 July 2025. The coroner found this consistent with natural disease progression related to her progressive dysphagia and reduced oral intake. No specific clinical errors were identified.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- Cerebral palsy
- Intellectual disability
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