Von Karlo Almero Salvoza suspended for misconduct at Dubbo Base Hospital

A former nurse has been found to have acted unprofessionally in the lead up to a patient’s death while working at a regional NSW hospital. This is what happened.

Dubbo Base Hospital. Picture: Ryan Young

A registered nurse at Dubbo Base Hospital has been stood down for 12 months after he removed medical equipment from a patient without authority.

Von Karlo Almero Salvoza was found guilty of professional misconduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on May 8.

It comes after the Health Care and Complaints Commission (HCCC) alleged he had acted unprofessionally by removing a Central Venous Catheter (CVC) from an 85-year-old man’s neck on April 13, 2022.

CVC’s are often used to help administer medication and nutrients through the bloodstream.

Tribunal documents state Salvoza removed the CVC while the patient, who was in the hospital for an infection and hip pain relating to a broken left hip, was sitting upright in a chair.

Salvoza began working at the Dubbo Base Hospital (pictured in 2009) in November 2021.

The removal of the device led to a reduced oxygen flow to the blood, and the man later suffered an air embolism – when air bubbles enter the bloodstream and block blood flow.

The man died almost a month later on May 2, 2022, as a result of various causes.

Tribunal documents state the patient was sitting upright in a chair when the CVC was removed, and that the wound was not tended to correctly, causing oxygen to enter the bloodstream. Generic image. Source: iStock.

Tribunal documents state Salvoza did not have the authority or training to remove CVCs, nor was the patient in the correct physical position to have his removed.

Salvoza did not begin CPR on the man when his condition worsened.

Salvoza had conditions imposed on his registration in October 2022, requiring him to be supervised.

The documents state he later left Australia in January 2024, and has not returned since.

His medical registration ceased on July 1, 2023.

The documents state the patient’s condition deteriorated in front of his family, who said Salvoza did not commence CPR and instead called in the Medical Emergency Team (MET).

Salvoza was handed a 12 month suspension from nursing in Australia, which means if he were to return to Australia, he could not re register with AHPRA until after May 8, 2026.

The documents stated if Salvoza was still registered at the time of the findings, his registration would likely have been cancelled.