89 results
31y · Male·Pulmonary thromboembolism
A 31-year-old man with obesity (BMI 40.2) and sleep apnoea underwent extensive cosmetic surgery in Malaysia (liposuction, abdominoplasty, chest lipectomy, and subsequent facial procedures) across two operations within fi…
78y · Female·multi-organ failure due to haemorrhage into the abdomen, pelvis and retroperiton…
78-year-old Jehovah's Witness died from multi-organ failure secondary to intra-abdominal and retroperitoneal haemorrhage following extensive anterior and posterior lumbar spinal fusion surgery. The patient had multiple c…
59y · Female·Global cerebral oedema due to hypoxic cerebral ischaemia following cardiac arres…
59-year-old woman admitted with newly diagnosed grade 4 glioblastoma underwent surgery 16 days later after delays during consultant's planned leave. Post-operative complications included ischaemic stroke confirmed on ima…
36y · Female·Complications of pneumonia and pulmonary emphysema with bullae formation; respir…
A 36-year-old woman with congenital chest wall abnormality, scoliosis, and difficult intubation history presented to a rural hospital with community-acquired pneumonia and sepsis. She had multiple 'red flag' indicators o…
0y · Male·Head injuries (birth trauma) secondary to obstructed labour and fetal macrosomia…
Nixon Martin Tonkin died from head injuries sustained during caesarean delivery for obstructed labour at 38 weeks gestation. The infant's head became deeply impacted in the maternal pelvis after prolonged second-stage la…
80y · Female·Gas embolism complicating surgical repair of an atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm …
An 80-year-old woman with multiple comorbidities (COPD, renal impairment, cardiac disease) underwent complex endoluminal repair of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm at a private hospital. The procedure required use of C…
75y · Female·septic complications following surgical resection of duodenal ampullary adenoma
A 75-year-old woman died of sepsis from bile leaking into her abdomen after elective surgery to remove a pre-malignant tumour adjacent to the bile duct. The coroner found multiple preventable failures: inadequate pre-ope…
66y · Female·retroperitoneal haemorrhage due to anticoagulation following right cerebrovascul…
A 66-year-old woman died from retroperitoneal haemorrhage following anticoagulation for stroke caused by intra-arterial central venous catheter placement. The catheter was mistakenly inserted into the right carotid arter…
66y · Male·Multi-system failure and ischaemic gut after left nephrectomy complicated by mas…
A 66-year-old man died from multi-system failure and ischaemic bowel following laparoscopic left nephrectomy complicated by massive haemorrhage and vascular injury. During surgery for renal carcinoma, the surgeon attempt…
42y · Female·Global cerebral ischaemia in a setting of anaesthesia
A 42-year-old woman died from global cerebral ischaemia following cardiac arrest during anaesthesia for a late-term termination of pregnancy. The anaesthetist, Dr McAllister, failed to obtain or ensure a functioning puls…
62y · Male·Global cerebral ischaemia secondary to intra-operative hypotension following the…
A 62-year-old man died from global cerebral ischaemia following intra-operative hypotension after protamine administration during a cardiac ablation procedure. He had suffered a severe hypotensive reaction to protamine 8…
29y · Female·Exsanguination post tubal ligation procedure
A 29-year-old woman died from exsanguination following an iatrogenic injury during elective laparoscopic tubal ligation at a regional hospital. A vascular injury to the right external iliac artery occurred during the pro…
44y · Male·pneumonia (with multiple left-sided rib fractures as the antecedent cause)
Jimmy James, a 44-year-old man, died from pneumonia with multiple left-sided rib fractures secondary to a physical assault. He presented to Westmead Hospital ED with clinical signs of septic shock (tachypnoea, hypoxia, h…
63y · Male·Right cerebral infarction caused by infusion of medication via central venous li…
A 63-year-old man with COPD, liver cirrhosis and alcohol dependence underwent emergency hemicolectomy for caecal volvulus. Post-operatively he developed respiratory depression, hypernatremia and alcohol withdrawal requir…
Male·Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy due to meconium aspiration syndrome
A full-term baby born at 39 weeks died from hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy due to meconium aspiration. Critical failures in fetal monitoring were identified: the admission CTG was abnormal but not recognised as such by…
62y · Female·Multi-organ failure due to lacerated abdominal aorta complicating laparoscopic b…
A 62-year-old woman died from multi-organ failure caused by a lacerated abdominal aorta sustained during elective laparoscopic gastric band surgery in 2006. The aorta was cut by a Visiport trocar blade at the start of th…
82y · Male·hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy due to cardiac arrest as a result of fractured …
An 82-year-old man died from hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy following perioperative cardiac arrest during ankle fracture surgery. The anesthetist failed to recognise clinical deterioration, did not intubate despite sig…
0y · Unknown·focal ventricular myocarditis and myonecrosis resulting from migration of a Peri…
A 10-month-old boy died from myocarditis and myonecrosis caused by migration of a PICC line into his right ventricle. The line was inserted appropriately under general anaesthetic for IV antibiotics treating periorbital …
56y · Female·hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy due to inadvertent oesophageal intubation and f…
Sukanya Thurairajah, 55-year-old with multiple comorbidities including obesity, diabetes, coronary disease, and metastatic breast cancer, underwent haemodialysis at Canberra Hospital on 29 July 2011. She had an adverse r…
Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy following ventilatory failure/cardiac arrest (R…
Two obese patients died from hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy following cardio-respiratory deterioration post-operatively at a private hospital without overnight medical cover. John Ryan (54) deteriorated within hours of…
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