Coroner's Finding: MOKETARINJA Anthea Ryder

42y · Female·multiple organ failure due to sepsis on a background of pneumonia, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and end-stage liver disease

Anthea Ryder Moketarinja, a 42-year-old Aboriginal woman with advanced cirrhosis, died from multiple organ failure due to sepsis, pneumonia, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and end-stage liver disease. She was admitted with pneumonia and delirium on 12 July 2019 and placed on an Inpatient Treatment Order due to impaired decision-making capacity. Despite initial improvement with antibiotics and supportive care, she deteriorated with worsening encephalopathy and sepsis. Multiple MET calls occurred on 30-31 July with hypotension requiring fluid resuscitation. A multidisciplinary team deemed intensive care inappropriate given her terminal condition and chronic liver disease. She died on 31 July 2019. The coroner found care at primary and secondary care levels was appropriate, and the ITOs were valid. Her poor prognosis reflected untreated alcohol-related cirrhosis and repeated non-compliance with treatment.