Coroner's Finding: LINNELL Sienna Jools

0y · Female·Group B Streptococcus infection

A 7-hour-old neonate died from early-onset Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection contracted during labour. The mother's GBS screening test at 35-37 weeks gestation was reported negative, and no antibiotic prophylaxis was administered during labour despite prolonged rupture of membranes (43 hours) and significant labour duration (17 hours). The coroner found the death preventable—if antibiotics had been given, the infant would likely have survived. Key issues include: reliance on a falsely negative screening result; failure to recognize that risk factors (prolonged PROM) persist despite negative screening; lack of informed consent discussion; and South Australian guidelines that failed to address false negatives. The coroner recommended amended guidelines to administer prophylactic antibiotics to GBS-negative women with prolonged PROM (≥18-24 hours), improved informed consent processes, and development of rapid intrapartum GBS testing.