Alex Braes, 18, suffered multi-organ failure due to sepsis and died after hospitals either despatched him domestic or refused to admit him. a coroner has heard. His wife was left sitting on the tarmac of Broken Hill Airport for hours waiting for a plane to come from Sydney to retrieve their 18-year-old dying son. By the fourth visit Alex was in excruciating pain and the leg was turning a dark purple colour. Alex Braes, 18, died at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital about 46 hours after limping into Broken Hill Base Hospital at 3am on September 20, 2017. "I was gobsmacked that it didn't prompt an investigation straight away," he said. "A significant one was the failure on September 20, 2017, to perform vital signs observations," Ms Ryan said. As his pain began to worsen, he was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fractured ankle. Please try again later. 23 April 2021. Broken Hill Hospital management downgraded the categorisation of Alex's death, meaning it wasn't referred immediately for an investigation, as is required under the state's Health Administration Act. Mr Braes said no ambulance came when he called triple zero and he had to drive his son to hospital, where there were further delays while staff tried to locate a wheelchair. But one nurse was still responsible for both triaging patients in the waiting room and overseeing the departments nursing team. An inquest into his death by the NSW Coroners Court is investigating the treatment the teenager received before he died from a bacterial infection known as Group A Streptococcus (GAS). In a statement, the FarWest Local Health District said it expressedits deepest sympathies to the family of Mr Braes and acknowledgedthe heartache caused by his death. Infectious diseases specialist Phillip Braslins said he was considering amputation after 18-year-old Alex Braes went into septic shock in Broken Hill Base Hospital on September 21 . It was a horrific outcome and such a young man, only 18 years old.". As for the delays in Braes' transfer, the coroner pointed out that the teen was not taken to South Australia's (SA) Royal Adelaide Hospital despite the facility being the closest hospital suitable for his care. She said it was likely that Mr Braes' temperature was measured that morning but not his pulse rate,rate of breathing or blood pressure. First doctor to treat NSW teenager who died from infection admits he should have taken vital signs, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Labor set a superannuation trap and Dutton immediatelytook the bait, Here's what the super tax changes might mean for you, NT Labor candidate confirms involvement in fatal car crash that led to conviction of driving without due care, Freya is one of 15,000 Australians who must find a new life-saving medication or pay a much higher price, Man who murdered Jay Brogden convicted of contempt of court, Live: Australia loses first wicket on day two but still on top in Indore. A New South Wales regional hospital where a teenager was sent home three times days before his death is still not safe due to staff shortages, a coroner has heard. Labor set a superannuation trap and Dutton immediatelytook the bait, Here's what the super tax changes might mean for you, NT Labor candidate confirms involvement in fatal car crash that led to conviction of driving without due care, Freya is one of 15,000 Australians who must find a new life-saving medication or pay a much higher price, Man who murdered Jay Brogden convicted of contempt of court, Live: Australia loses first wicket on day two but still on top in Indore. "I just wanted to send my condolences and I'm so sorry that it happened. "Certainly other hospitals will highlight a second presentation or third presentation, [to ask] 'have we missed something?'" Alex was told to go home and come back later that morning for an ultrasound. "You need to move that patient as soon as you possibly can to an organisation that has the facilities, the staff to manage the patient as best as possible," she said. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning. Coroner identifies unacceptable treatment in lead-up to death from multi-organ failure due to sepsis, calls for new interstate rules. 'An unthinkable tragedy': How did this train crash happen? Enabling and empowering the medical community to come together. Before his Honour Magistrate Lee, Deputy State Coroner Wednesday 1 March 2023 Inquest into the Death of A.W. Ryan also outlined major delays in transferring Braes to the Sydney hospital where he died in the early hours of 22 September 2017, after he was refused admission at a South Australian tertiary facility due to a policy preventing interstate transfers. ': Teen searched internet before dying of suspected toenail infection, inquest hears, Doctor tells inquest why he can't celebrate his birthday since teenager's death, Inquest begins into teen's death from infected toenail, The death of Alex Braes still haunts doctors who didn't even know him, Outside her tent, next to a popular city walking track, homeless Tasha is past caring what people think. Broken Hill hadn't been able to get a GP that week to staff the fast-track clinic which saw less-serious patients, so that put enormous pressure on the emergency department. Mr McLean says by this stage Alex's third presentation alarm bells should have been ringing. A coroner has heard one nurse is responsible for both triaging patients in the waiting room and overseeing nurses in the emergency department at Broken Hill hospital. Alex Braes. Get the best investigative journalism, delivered to your inbox. The majority of Coroner's findings following an inquest are available to the public. They included a baby who died after a doctor failed to check her test results, a woman who bled to death in an emergency department without any doctors physically present and a man who was told his ward had run out of morphine and paracetamol. Registered nurse Kristy Kelly, who was the team leader in the hospital's emergency department on the morning of September 21, 2017, told the inquest she was bound by that rule. Please note: The inquest will investigate the treatment Alex Braes received before he died from a bacterial infection known as Group A Streptococcus (GAS). "He was our first child, our ray of sunshine," he said. More from Latest News Danish ex-minister charged with revealing state secrets Mr Braes also recalled Alexs vital signs, including his temperature and pulse, were not checked each time he attended hospital. An inquest into how a Broken Hill teenager diedfrom an infected toenailhas heard his condition deteriorated rapidly in his final hours. Alex Braes, 18, died at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred hospital nearly 46 hours after limping into Broken Hill Base hospital at 3am on 20 September 2017. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. Alex Braes, 18, died on 22 September 2017 from multi-organ failure due to sepsis from a Group A streptococcus infection. The inquest heard that a mandatory investigation into the cause of Alexs death was not carried out by Far West Local Health District for a year after he died. Ms Ryan said there had an been "extraordinarylack" of progress between NSW Health and SA Healthestablishinga formalised cross-border arrangement to transfer critically-ill patients from BrokenHill to Adelaide. But so shocking is his case that it's prompted a group of clinicians who worked at Broken Hill Hospital to blow the whistle on what they believe is a hospital that had dangerous, systemic failures for years. "It is entirely possible that Alex had a severe cellulitis without reaching the threshold of necrotising fasciitis, which led to his bloodstream infection and sepsis.". She was in that dual role when Mr Braes arrived at the hospital on September 21, 2017 - crippled by pain and . Dr MacDonald believes if you're in a remote centre and become gravely ill, the hospital needs to be equipped for what she describes as a "grab and go". Justifiably outraged at the poor care of his son, John Braes. Mr Braes died a little more than an hour after being admitted. Alex Braes died at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after going to another hospital four times. Dr Kerrie MacDonald is a paediatrician who used to work at Broken Hill Hospital and is still in the NSW health system. The decision not to transfer the teenager to a better-equipped, major hospital sooner was also under the microscope. Alex arrived at Broken Hill Hospital's emergency department. Broken Hill Base Hospital in NSW had a 'business rule' that discouraged the taking of routine vital signs at ED triage, reports hearing into Alex Braes' death in 2017. Copyright 2023 IBTimes LLC. Part 1 Requesting the Autopsy Report 1 Understand the purpose of an autopsy. The 18-year-old died about 1am on 22 September soon after landing in Sydney after a prolonged effort to evacuate him from Broken Hill. Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, Seriously Ill COVID-19 Patient Turned Away By 100 Hospitals In Japan, COVID-Positive Pregnant Woman Delivers Near Hospital Gate After Doctors Turn Her Away, Canada's Trudeau Denies Report That Liberals Told To Drop Candidate Over China Ties, After Italian Migrant Boat Wreck, Police Arrest Three Alleged Traffickers, 14 Chinese Military Aircraft Tracked Around Country, China's Annual Parliament To Implement Xi's Tightening Grip, Alex Braes, 18, sufferedmulti-organ failure due tosepsis and died after hospitals either sent him home or refused to admit him, A hospital "business rule" resulted in the teen's vitals not being checked duringhis first three presentations, A coroner said there was a serious and unacceptable deficiency in his treatment at the hospital. It was far too late. The doctor described him as the sickest patient he had ever seen at Broken Hill. Transfer 'only option' after teen Alex Braes went into septic shock in Broken Hill hospital, coroner hears. The 18-year-old TAFE student's death was featured in a Four Corners report, which revealed he presented to Broken Hill Hospital's emergency department four times before vital signs observations were administered. It will include an autopsy report, police report, the victim number of the series, personal information of the victim, and much, much more to make the Coroner's Report . A traumatised doctor has broken down in tears at an inquest, reflecting on how a relatively well teenager was joking with his father the night before his sudden death. Media Access When a Coroner investigates a death or a fire or explosion, the court gathers a range of documents which make up the coronial file. Broken Hill Hospital is one of several under the spotlight as a parliamentary inquiry probes the state of regional hospitals. Tragically, what worked against Mr Braeswas his overall health and age, the inquest heard. "What I do know is it was not a satisfactory outcome and that's why when I heard about it from the doctors, I had the ministry go back out there, go through it, and determine why this had been downgraded," he said. abc.net.au/news/alex-braes-inquest-findings-health-systems-criticised/101109422 The Deputy State Coroner has criticised a regional hospital's treatment of a boy who was repeatedly sent home before dying from sepsis. He was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney but went into cardiac arrest and died soon after arriving during the early hours of September 22, 2017. Laws governing each of these documents and their contents vary from state to state. Alex Murdaugh's defence has rested its case after calling a total of 14 witnesses to try to convince jurors he is innocent of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.. 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