Finding into death of Helen Welsh

63y · Female·Escherichia coli septicaemia in a lady with multiple comorbidities

Helen Welsh, 63, died from E. coli septicaemia with multiple comorbidities. She presented with respiratory symptoms and underwent bronchoscopy. On discharge day, she deteriorated with fever, altered consciousness, and hypotension. A MET call was initiated and sepsis was suspected. However, clinical staff prioritised CT imaging over immediate antibiotic administration while awaiting blood culture results. She suffered cardiac arrest during scanning and died despite resuscitation. The coroner found that while antibiotics should have been given priority over imaging in the context of suspected sepsis, it could not be determined with certainty that earlier antibiotics would have prevented death. No formal sepsis pathway existed at Austin Health. The case highlights the importance of rapid antibiotic administration in sepsis management and the value of structured sepsis clinical pathways.