Delayed myocarditis diagnosis left five-year-old with no hope of survival: coroner
A series of clinical failings including misreading of an ECG led to the delay, inquest finds.
A five-year-old with fulminant influenza A myocarditis was left with no chance of survival after a series of clinical failings at Canberra Hospital, a coroner has found.
Rozalia Spadafora died the day after her GP recommended that she be taken to the ED for further testing.
She originally presented to the GP with tachycardia and lethargy six days after being diagnosed with an ear infection by another GP.
But her diagnosis at the hospital was “unreasonably delayed” by around 17 hours due to triage issues and misinterpretation of her ECG along with other failings, ACT coroner Ken Archer said.
