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"The only evidence that we have is that Alex had Streptococcus pyogenes grown in his bloodstream and he had septic shock," he said. He told the inquest though, that on the balance of probabilities, Alex most likely had necrotising fasciitis. According to these figures, for every 100,000 people, there are 91.6 avoidable deaths in major cities, compared to 248.7 avoidable deaths in very remote parts of the country. His inquest has heard a full set of vital. Jurors in the murder trial of disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh heard Monday about autopsy evidence on a day the court also publicly released body camera videos from law enforcement . Alex died in the early hours of September 22, 2017, at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, after being transferred from his local hospital. Get the best investigative journalism, delivered to your inbox. A doctor who later saw Alex Braes said the 18-year-old was 'the sickest patient he'd ever seen at Broken Hill' hospital. It was a horrific outcome and such a young man, only 18 years old.". He would follow them to Sydney on a commercial flight. By the fourth visit Alex was in excruciating pain and the leg was turning a dark purple colour. 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. Alex was given a triage category of three, meaning the patient must see a doctor within 30 minutes. The delayed transfer also deprived his parents of seeing him in his final hours, as they left the hospital to prepare to travel with him. Alex Braes died at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after going to another hospital four times. Authorities said . The inquest also heard from DrBaalbaki about whether expert recommendations surrounding Mr Braes' final presentation, such as having contact with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Sydney, would havebeen of assistance. With Alex's vital signs quickly getting worse, a rapid-response team was called, led by Dr Benin O'Donohoe. My first thought was I havent finished obs for him, I havent done anything for him, have I missed something? she told the inquest. A coroner has blasted a NSW hospital for attempting to avoid an investigation into a teenager's death from sepsis after he was sent home from its emergency department, finding efforts to deny the significance of the tragedy inexcusable and deeply distressing to his family. "No-one deserves to lose a child, no one deserves to go through this, and I can't begin to imagine what this is like for you.". "We've gone back to the full set of obs (observations) at every triage," she said. It is replayed on Tuesday 10th September at 1.00pm and Wednesday 11th at 11.20pm. John Braes wept before the NSW Coroners Court on Monday as he recalled the final hours of his son Alex, who he remembered as a ray of sunshine with red hair and an infectious laugh. The highly experienced clinician also took time at the end of his testimony to address the Braes family directly. 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. 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. Sign up here. She told Four Corners that by this stage, Alex was desperately unwell, yet he was again left waiting. Now she believes she's being penalised, Australia loses first wicket on day two but still on top in Indore, ADF aircraft, personnel to assist evacuation of hundreds from flooded NT remote communities, Rajwinder Singh expected to be charged with murder of Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley tonight, police say, Watch Australia's economic challenges unfold in five graphs, 'Weight of the dead on my shoulders': Academic breaks down at gay hate deaths inquiry, 'Can pain kill you? The death of a healthy 18-year-old man who first attended a hospital with moderate knee pain is almost incomprehensible, she said. "I remember thinking that I wished I would have the same relationship with my children when they grew up. In lieu of an autopsy, a panel of experts determined he had an unusual presentation of a fast-acting, highly lethal infection called invasive group A streptococcal. The veteran clinician and patient-retrieval specialist, who has 36 years' experience, said he believed, inhindsight and now that he was "aware of the outcome", that there were a number of "ifs" including if Mr Braes had been takento Adelaide instead of Sydney. Witnesses told the inquest the rule had limited oversight from senior management and staff generally disapproved of it. 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). The inquiry was launched after an investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald exposed troubling circumstances of three deaths and a series of near-misses at hospitals across western NSW. Alex's mother was sent to wait at Broken Hill airport while his father went home to pack a suitcase. The inquest also heard the Broken Hill hospital is prevented from transferring patients to Adelaide, despite the SA capital being closer than Sydney. "I didn't know his family, I didn't know Alex Braes. Dr Stewart-Rattray says he and other clinicians who worked at Broken Hill had warned about mismanagement and a lack of resources that posed a risk to patient safety. Findings and upcoming inquests - Coroners Court Inquest findings (since 2004) as well as non-inquest public interest matters (since 2012) are available below. Like that day, she said the nurses were still often very busy and under an awful lot of pressure. Mr Braes told the inquest that even once Alex became gravely ill, there was no ambulance available to take him to Broken Hill Hospital, no hospitals willing to admit him in Adelaide and no pilot available to fly him to Sydney. The decision not to transfer the teenager to a better-equipped, major hospital sooner was also under the microscope. She was in that dual role when Mr Braes arrived at the hospital on September 21, 2017 - crippled by pain and . Friday, 2.00am Eighteen-year-old Alex Braes was pronounced dead. From February 2022, the Broken Hill RFDS base has funding available for a second plane, along with another locally based pilot and nurse. Inquest into the death of Alex BRAES CORONIAL LAW: death of a young man - cause of death sepsis - was clinical care at Broken Hill Base Hospital adequate - were arrangements or airlift to a tertiary hospital appropriate - recommendations Download Inquest into the death of Alex BRAES PDF File (358.2 KB) Last updated: 27 May 2020 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 . She said the inquest established therewereshortcomings in thecare provided to MrBraes at the hospital. 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The NSW State Coroner, Teresa OSullivan, has advised the procedures that will apply in relation to the conduct of coronial proceedings at the Lidcombe Forensic Medicine and Coroners Court Complex (FMCCC), for matters listed from 10 October 2022. He suffered multi-organ failure due to sepsis . The nurse did not provide the pillow but left her post to go out into the waiting room to check on Alex. Dr Hooper, who resigned from his position as a senior visiting medical officer at Broken Hill Hospital two months ago, told the inquest yesterday that Mr Braes' death was a "profound event" in his life. Alex finally left the hospital and was put onto the air ambulance which took off with his mother also on board. The first doctor to treat a limping teenager, whose sudden death from a fast-acting infection is under coronial investigation, says in retrospect he should have taken a full set of basic readings such as blood pressure. Mr McLean says he spoke up and tried to get something done but he was ignored by hospital management. The high-profile . "Almost five years after Alex died this remains the case.". Alex Braes, 18, died on 22 September 2017 from multi-organ failure due to sepsis from a Group A streptococcus infection. SA Health, for its part, has commenced discussions with its NSW counterpart on how to continue to best provide services on an ongoing basis. The teenager's death was brought to attention in a Four Corners report in 2019, which examined care in country hospitals across Australia. It was far too late. Thirty-three hours after he had first presented to Broken Hill Hospital, hospital staff finally did vital-signs observations. Representation. 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. The investigation, known as a root cause analysis, was completed following complaints by hospital whistleblowers and coincided with the first anniversary of Alexs death. Dr O'Donohoe later quit work at Broken Hill Hospital over what he saw as mismanagement, leading to patient safety issues. 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. . He went into cardiac arrest. Coroner training overview. She noted that there was no realistic possibility that his specific infection could have been identified and successfully treated on September 20, 2017. Mr Braes, 18, was misdiagnosed as having a torn knee tendon while he was battling a life-threatening bacterial infection. There was no bed available in Adelaide and a pilot could not take him to Sydney without exceeding his maximum allowable working hours. Alex Braes, from Broken Hill died from a deadly flesh-eating diseases in 2017 Inquest into the 18-year-old's sudden death reveals doctors missed vital signs Young man complained of severe pain. The inquest heard that at the hospital, only one doctor is on duty overnight and two nurses in the emergency department. Ryan found it was potentially dangerous and against NSW Health policy, but a systemic failure that could not be attributed to individual hospital staff. Copyright IBTimes 2023. 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. Alex Braes, 18, died on 22 September 2017 from multi-organ failure due to sepsis from a Group A streptococcus infection. "The kidneys start to fail in what is an overwhelming sepsis and that is something that we were battling against, because we didn't actually have the resources to support failing kidneys that's why we needed to get him out," nurse Max McLean said. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/senior-treating-doctor-reflects-on-day-two-of-alex-braes-inquest/100703130, Get breaking news alerts directly to your phone with our app, Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article, China leaving US behind on development of critical technologies, report finds, Former minister takes 'absolute responsibility' for Robodebt, admits defending scheme despite knowing it could be unlawful, 'Sickening, callous and brazen': Sydney man dies in hail of bullets in front of 12yo son, Evelyn worked three jobs when she was in her 20s to build up her super. Two days before his death, Braes presented to Broken Hill Hospital with severe leg pain, but the facility's staff did not check his full vital signs, Ryan said. It would eventually take a whole year for an investigation to be done and that only happened because the doctors repeatedly lobbied the Ministry of Health and, ultimately, wrote to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, to intervene. The family had to wait several hours for an aircraft to be dispatched from Sydney to collect Alex. 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. The "first and only option" available to a specialist doctor treating a gravely ill teenager in a country hospital was to fly him elsewhere, a coroner has been told. 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. Did you find what you were looking for? Editor's note: This article contains graphic descriptions from autopsy reports and witness testimony. She has recommended that the states' respective health departments continue discussions for formalizing that arrangement and for the matter to be escalated to the NSW Health Secretary if it fails to be in place within a year. Ms Anderson said 'yes' and that the rule was notin place at the hospital any longer. Alex Braes (Credit: ABC "Four Corners," family photograph) The death has traumatised Braes' family and hospital staff alike. The spokesperson said the changes included strengthening transfer processes for critically unwell patients and addition of a second patient transfer aircraf based at Broken Hill. But the Flying Doctors were unable to transport Alex because the only available pilot had already reached their maximum flying hours a regulation governed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Alex Braes, 18, died at Sydney's Royal Prince . An inquest into how a Broken Hill teenager diedfrom an infected toenailhas heard his condition deteriorated rapidly in his final hours. Advertisement Ad "[I] informed him that we had the sickest patient I'd seen since my time in Broken Hill," he said. Alex Braes, 18, suffered multi-organ failure due to sepsis and died after hospitals either despatched him domestic or refused to admit him. See State Coroner's Memorandum No. All NSW magistrates are coroners by virtue of their status: s 16. "He complained that he might pass out or faint, so his father asked for a pillow," she said. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. An inquest was established soon after that report and was due to undertake Broken Hill hearings last yearbut was delayed after coronavirusrestrictions affected proceedings. "I feel heartbroken that I still have my children and that you've lost your boy.". The day's hearing also heard from DrDevinda Arangala, who reviewed Alex during the early hours of September 20, 2017, when the teenager first presented to the hospital with a sore knee. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures released in July show the further Australians live from capital cities, the higher the rate of potentially avoidable deaths. Mr McLean says staff had to provide life support before Alex could be put on the plane. Desperately unwell, yet he was battling a life-threatening bacterial infection his father asked for pillow... 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