Deceased
Katina Levissianos
Demographics
55y, female
Date of death
2009-11-04
Finding date
2013-05-16
Cause of death
Aspiration of Gastric Contents in Association with Gastric Necrosis in a patient with a Gastric Band Device
AI-generated summary
A 55-year-old woman died of aspiration following gastric necrosis associated with a gastric band device inserted in 2008. She presented with vomiting and feeling unwell starting 31 October 2009, but never complained of pain despite having excruciating necrosis. Her GP made home visits on 2 and 3 November, diagnosed a likely viral infection, and prescribed antibiotics and anti-emetics. The deceased refused hospital admission. Her stomach had herniated through the band device, causing obstruction and necrosis within approximately 4-5 days. Death was likely preventable if she had reported excessive vomiting to her surgeon or if her GP had recognized that significant vomiting warrants urgent surgical review. Key clinical lesson: GPs require education about bariatric surgery complications, specifically that excessive vomiting mandates urgent specialist review and possible device loosening/removal, as vomiting itself can cause stomach herniation through the band.
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
46y · Male·sepsis following haemorrhoidectomy
46-year-old Justin Mark Dobson died from sepsis following a routine haemorrhoidectomy on 17 July 2019. He was discharged to the ward overnight but deteriorated significantly from 11:00 am on 18 July, showing hypotension,…
71y · Male·End-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and atherosclerotic heart diseas…
Colin Albert Winter, a 71-year-old prisoner who died from end-stage COPD and atherosclerotic heart disease, received comprehensive medical care during 33 years of incarceration at Casuarina Prison. Key clinical lessons i…
75y · Female·Complications including acute pancreatitis and refractory intra-abdominal sepsis…
Lee Milcherdy, 75, died from complications including acute pancreatitis and refractory intra-abdominal sepsis following an unnecessary ERCP procedure. An MRCP scan on 12 October 2018 showed no gallstone, making the plann…
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.