Inquest to probe woman’s death after surgery by former premier’s partner
Surgery performed by Annastacia Palaszczuk’s partner will be at the centre of an inquest into the death of a grandmother, just days after her gastric bypass surgery.
Surgery performed by the partner of former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Dr Reza Adib, will be at the heart of an inquest into a Gold Coast woman who died just days after her gastric bypass operation.
Rosemarie Campbell, 62, died at her home in Pacific Pines on February 27, 2022, after being discharged from the Wesley Hospital where she had the surgery on February 24.
A pre-inquest hearing in the Queensland Coroner’s Court on Wednesday revealed the timeline of events leading up to her death and outlined the key issues the inquest will examine.
Counsel assisting the coroner, Geoffrey Diehm, said the inquest would explore the adequacy of the medical care Ms Campbell received, whether she was properly informed of the risks, benefits, and alternatives to the surgery, and whether her deteriorating condition was appropriately recognised before she was discharged.
Mr Diehm told the court Dr Adib’s justification for offering the surgery was to provide relief from severe reflux and help Ms Campbell achieve weight loss goals “described by him as being critical for her health”.
Ms Campbell was discharged around midday on February 26 into the care of her partner. The next morning, she reportedly had trouble moving and needed assistance.
“He is said to have left her standing at their bedroom window whilst he went to get a cup of coffee for her from the kitchen downstairs,” Mr Diehm said.
“Whilst he was in the kitchen making coffee, he heard a loud thump from upstairs. He returned to find Ms Campbell face down on the bedroom floor and unresponsive.”
The court heard he attempted to resuscitate her before paramedics arrived and took over CPR. Despite working on her for about 30 minutes, Ms Campbell was declared deceased.
A preliminary pathologist report found her sudden death was caused by sepsis resulting from acute bacterial peritonitis and pneumonia.
The court heard a small bowel hernia had led to a bowel obstruction, which caused her vomiting and likely contributed to both the pneumonia and the fatal infection.
There is no allegation that Dr Adib performed the surgery negligently.
The inquest will also examine whether signs of her condition were missed by medical staff after the surgery or not properly acted upon.
Mr Diehm said that on the night before her discharge, nurses recorded she vomited multiple times and rated her abdominal pain as “eight out of 10”. She was given strong pain relief and anti-nausea medication.
One nurse noted Ms Campbell vomited 350ml on the morning of her discharge.
Despite this, she was reportedly “keen for discharge” due to concerns about flooding at the time and wanting to recover at home.
The court was told that Ms Campbell was given a score of zero on an early warning tool the day she was discharged. However, expert witness Professor Wendy Brown, who is expected to testify, said the correct score should have been two, which would have triggered a senior clinician review.
Mr Diehm said she noted that her oxygen saturation levels had dropped, and her pulse had increased, indicating a possible deterioration.
“In the view of the Wesley Hospital, the correct score should have been two,” Mr Diehm said.
“A score of two would have required notification of a senior team leader which may have led to increasing concern around the patient and further conversation with the surgeon about the vital signs.”
Dr Adib reportedly approved the discharge and prescribed anti-nausea medication.
The court was told Dr Adib said he was not informed of the vomiting, pain, or deteriorating vital signs. There is no evidence he was advised of these symptoms, and he stated that had he known, he would not have agreed to discharge her.
Once home, Ms Campbell reportedly told her daughter-in-law that she was unwell and felt like she had been “hit by a truck”.
The court was told, in Professor Brown’s opinion, the post-surgery care plan was “not as thorough” as expected.
She believed further tests should have been performed before discharge, and that had Ms Campbell remained in hospital under observation, the bowel obstruction may have been diagnosed early, and an emergency return to surgery could have avoided the fatal complications.
“She was discharged home whilst her observations were deteriorating and she should have been kept in hospital, in Professor Brown’s opinion,” Mr Diehm said.
He said that Professor Brown also pointed to a “lack of documentation” in Dr Adib’s notes, which may have led to ambiguity in communication.
The inquest will also explore whether changes to hospital discharge policies or clinical procedures could help prevent similar deaths in future. It is expected to run in June for at least three days and will hear from several doctors and nurses, including Dr Adib and Professor Brown.