90 results
65y · Male·escherichia coli urosepsis
Dr G., a 65-year-old psychologist, died from escherichia coli urosepsis following pyeloscopic kidney stone extraction. Post-operative fever developed within 2 hours of surgery. By 2:00am, clinical evidence of septic shoc…
57y · Male·Complications of opioid (hydromorphone and morphine) toxicity and incised wounds…
Leslie Hawkins, aged 57 with dementia and significant medical comorbidities, died from opioid toxicity and incised wrist wounds as part of a suicide pact with his terminally ill wife. Mrs Hawkins, diagnosed with advanced…
1y · Female·Gastrointestinal haemorrhage due to aorto-oesophageal fistula caused by lodged b…
Isabella Rees, aged 14 months, presented to Sunshine Hospital ED four times over 19 days with fever, vomiting and later haematochezia. A button battery lodged in her oesophagus caused progressive caustic injury leading t…
28y · Male·Mixed drug toxicity (synergistic effects of diazepam, oxycodone, and fentanyl ca…
Matthew McLachlan, a 28-year-old paraplegic with chronic pain from spinal cord injury, died from mixed drug toxicity while hospitalized for urinary tract infection treatment. He was receiving fentanyl patches, oxycodone,…
34y · Female·Mixed drug toxicity
Diane Maria Hillgrove, a 34-year-old woman with chronic pain, PTSD, anxiety and substance abuse history, died from mixed drug toxicity on 7 July 2018. Post-mortem toxicology revealed elevated pregabalin (51 mg/L), morphi…
86y · Male·Aspiration Pneumonia secondary to Recurrent Colorectal Carcinoma
An 86-year-old man died from aspiration pneumonia following bowel preparation for elective colonoscopy. He was admitted to an outlying ward rather than the gastroenterology unit, where nursing staff documented multiple e…
81y · Female·left haemothorax and mediastinal haemorrhage from the insertion site of the perm…
An 81-year-old woman died from haemothorax and mediastinal haemorrhage following pacemaker insertion for sick sinus syndrome. Multiple venous punctures during the procedure caused vascular injury. Critical clinical lesso…
9y · Female·peritonitis due to perforated small bowel due to blunt abdominal trauma
Nine-year-old Leila Baartse-Harkin died from peritonitis due to a perforated small bowel sustained when she fell from a swing. Despite three medical encounters within 36 hours, the perforation was never diagnosed. At a r…
0y · Male·Urosepsis and renal failure in a child with acute on chronic pyelonephritis seco…
An 11-month-old boy with undiagnosed posterior urethral valves and hydronephrosis presented with fever, respiratory distress, and lethargy over three days. He was assessed by multiple GPs and presented to the ED at Werri…
38y · Male·haemopericardium (pericardial tamponade) due to aortic dissection
James Maurice Smith, 38-year-old male, died from haemopericardium due to aortic dissection. He presented to ED on 9 June 2015 with severe back and abdominal pain, elevated lactate, and neurological symptoms suggesting va…
62y · Female·subacute subdural haematoma due to a closed head injury sustained in a fall from…
A 62-year-old woman on warfarin for a mechanical aortic valve sustained a head injury from a fall. A CT scan on day 5 post-injury identified a small extradural haematoma, but the radiologist (Dr J.) failed to report it, …
1y · Female·aspiration of gastric contents due to recent gastroenteritis and vomiting leadin…
Bridgett Currah was a 19-month-old girl with complex medical needs including cyanotic congenital heart disease, gastro-oesophageal reflux, and feeding difficulties. She presented to Mildura Base Hospital on 21 May 2013 w…
3y · Male·thrombotic microangiopathy
A 3-year-old child died from thrombotic microangiopathy (haemolytic uraemic syndrome) secondary to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection, likely acquired from consumption of unpasteurised milk. Early presentation to GP…
91y · Female·Unascertained
Margaret Smith, a 91-year-old admitted with head strike from fall, developed moderate depression during her stay and received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a compulsory patient. On 5 March 2015, she developed epigas…
87y · Male·Strangulated small bowel due to adhesions from previous abdominal surgery
An 87-year-old man with diabetes, hypertension and dementia was admitted with presumed UTI and dehydration. Within 24 hours, nursing staff observed a distended abdomen and bile-stained vomiting—clinical signs of bowel ob…
6y · Male·pneumonia complicating influenza A (H1N1) infection with secondary streptococcal…
Sebastian Parman, a 6-year-old boy, died from pneumonia complicating influenza H1N1 with secondary group A streptococcal infection causing scarlet fever, empyema and sepsis. Multiple clinical failures contributed: an inf…
82y · Male·complications from multiple injuries received in a motor vehicle accident
Karl Guy Meyers, 82 years old, died from complications of multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. He developed an ileus or pseudo-colonic obstruction requiring nasogastric tube (NGT) insertion. The key c…
55y · Male·Cardiac tamponade due to ruptured aortic dissection (Type A) against a backgroun…
Rick Dickinson, a 55-year-old man, presented to St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital after experiencing severe central chest pain and lower back pain with numbness at the gym. The treating senior doctor failed to adequately…
18y · Female·Severe cardiogenic shock caused by myocarditis as a consequence of an unknown vi…
Ivy Dwyer, 18, died from viral myocarditis causing cardiogenic shock. She presented over weeks with progressive non-specific symptoms (nausea, vomiting, fatigue, cough) consistent with viral illness. A locum GP diagnosed…
4y · Female·Haemorrhage due to aorto-oesophageal fistula caused by ingestion of a button bat…
A 4-year-old girl died from aorto-oesophageal fistula and haemorrhage caused by a lithium button battery lodged in her oesophagus for at least 3 days. Critical diagnostic failures occurred: the initial GP failed to consi…
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.