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Coroner: Doctor's Error Caused Girl's Preventable Death
14 Oct
Summary
- An eight-year-old girl's death was deemed preventable by a coroner.
- A doctor's clinical management of the girl's condition was criticized.
- Key test results indicating severity were not fully appreciated.
Victoria's deputy state coroner has found the death of eight-year-old Amrita Varshini Lanka to be preventable.
Amrita died from lymphocytic myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, at Monash Children's Hospital on April 30, 2022, after presenting with stomach pain and nausea.
Coroner Paresa Spanos criticized the response of an emergency department doctor, stating that Amrita's life could have been saved if her condition had been better appreciated following an abnormal ECG and elevated lactate levels around 4am on April 30, 2022.
The doctor did not attend to Amrita again until 5:30am, by which time her condition had significantly worsened. Despite subsequent escalation of care and CPR efforts, she suffered cardiac arrest and could not be saved.
Monash Health admitted staff had failed to grasp the seriousness of the girl's condition. The coroner commended the hospital for implementing changes following an internal review.
