316 results
86y · Female·Pulmonary thromboembolism in the setting of deep leg vein thrombosis, secondary …
Barbara Deal, 86, died from pulmonary embolism secondary to deep vein thrombosis 17 days after lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Critical failures included: no repeat VTE risk assessments despite policy requirements; inconsi…
66y · Female·Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy
A 66-year-old woman with COPD, obstructive sleep apnoea, and obesity underwent routine knee surgery at Royal Darwin Hospital. Post-operative care was inadequate. Despite dropping oxygen saturations to 88% when sedated an…
75y · Female·multiple organ failure due to severe anaemia secondary to blood loss post electi…
A 75-year-old woman died from multiple organ failure due to severe anaemia after elective hysterectomy surgery. Critical failures occurred: the surgical and anaesthetic teams held conflicting understandings about whether…
0y · Female·Complications of ascending uterine infection (Klebsiella pneumoniae) in the sett…
Mia Rose Iskander died at 8 hours of age from ascending uterine infection (Klebsiella pneumoniae) with chorioamnionitis following maternal premature pre-labour rupture of membranes (PPROM) at 32 weeks. Maternal managemen…
0y · Male·Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy due to an out of hospital cardiac arrest second…
A 10-month-old boy drowned in a backyard fishpond after a 27-minute period of inadequate supervision. He was found unresponsive by his aunt and underwent prolonged resuscitation, suffering severe hypoxic brain injury. De…
0y · Unknown·unascertained
A 10-day-old neonate born at 36 weeks gestation presented to hospital with signs of sepsis including hypothermia, lethargy, poor feeding, and jaundice. Critical failures in recognition and triage occurred: the infant was…
68y · Female·haemopericardium resulting from perforation of the pericardial sac during laparo…
Mrs Christine Flynn, aged 68, died from haemopericardium and pericardial tamponade following laparoscopic hiatus hernia repair. A 2mm perforation of the pericardial sac occurred during surgery, likely from mesh tacks pla…
40y · Male·Acute hepatic and renal failure in the setting of postoperative haemorrhage foll…
A 40-year-old man with obesity, COPD, diabetes and hypertension died from acute hepatic and renal failure following postoperative haemorrhage after left radical nephrectomy for a 10cm renal cell carcinoma. The surgeon ap…
73y · Female·Multi organ failure due to adhesions related bowel perforation (surgically treat…
Sharyn Kaine, a 73-year-old woman, died from multi-organ failure due to adhesions-related bowel perforation and paracetamol-induced liver failure. She was prescribed intravenous paracetamol 1g four times daily post-opera…
51y · Female·Methemoglobinemia in the context of lignocaine use
Danielle Cadan, 51, died from methemoglobinemia following a tooth extraction under lignocaine anaesthetic at a regional health service. The lignocaine was administered in normal therapeutic dose but triggered this rare l…
16y · Male·mid-gut volvulus and bowel obstruction, leading to ischaemic bowel and related c…
Finlay Browne, a 16-year-old with Down syndrome, presented to Bathurst Base Hospital on 30 September 2016 with acute abdominal pain and vomiting. Despite clear clinical signs—including a lactate of 7.2 mmol/L (grossly ab…
0y · Male·multifactorial with severe hypoxia/hypotension which occurred in the background …
Everett Carleton died at birth following an emergency caesarean section complicated by unexpected placenta praevia and umbilical cord transection. The placenta was incorrectly reported as posterior on ultrasound, though …
17y · Male·stroke (left middle cerebral artery infarction) following motorbike collision du…
Kane Mathew Leary, 17, died from a stroke (left middle cerebral artery infarction) following a motorbike collision. The critical clinical lesson involves a missed diagnosis of left internal carotid artery dissection on i…
12y · Male·Injuries sustained in a quad bike incident (driver)
A 12-year-old boy died from injuries sustained in a quad bike accident on his family's rural property. He was riding unsupervised without parental permission when the bike collided with a drain bank, flipping and impalin…
70y · Male·severe metabolic acidosis due to multi organ failure including liver ischaemia
70-year-old Sean Thomas Montgomery died from severe metabolic acidosis and multi-organ failure following a thoracoscopic repair of a chronic right diaphragmatic hernia. The coroner identified multiple significant failing…
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,…
59y · Female·Asphyxial aspiration with upper airways obstruction by vomitus
Ms Prenc, a 59-year-old woman with spina bifida, died from asphyxial aspiration with upper airway obstruction by vomitus while hospitalised for urosepsis. The critical clinical issue was a Goals of Care (GOC) document co…
54y · Male·Hypoxic/ischaemic brain damage caused by blood loss and airway obstruction due t…
A 54-year-old male was assaulted in a nightclub with a single punch causing orbital and facial fractures and posterior epistaxis. He presented to the Royal Hobart Hospital ED with active bleeding. Critical deficits in hi…
72y · Male·Upper cervical spine injury sustained in a fall from a ladder
A 72-year-old man suffered a fall from a 3-metre ladder during home garden maintenance, sustaining a severe upper cervical spine injury (C2 fracture with high spinal cord haemorrhage) that was deemed non-survivable. He d…
20y · Male·hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy secondary to displacement of tracheostomy and p…
Adam Fitzpatrick, a 20-year-old with complex facial and skull fractures from a motor vehicle collision, underwent emergency tracheostomy placement. On 22 August 2020, 13 days later, his tracheostomy tube became dislodged…
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