Coroner scathing of surgeon, Darwin Private Hospital after patient’s death

THE NT Coroner has asked the Medical Board to consider his findings on the death of sepsis victim Irene Magripilis, with scathing remarks on her surgeon and Darwin Private Hospital

Irene Magripilis' family talk to media outside Darwin Local Court after Coroner Greg Cavanagh handed down his findings. PICTURE: Elise Derwin`

THE NT Coroner has asked the Medical Board to consider his findings on the death of sepsis victim Irene Magripilis, with scathing remarks on her surgeon and Darwin Private Hospital.

Ms Magripilis’ distraught family told the media they were pleased with the outcome.

Daughter Maria said: “We want people not to be afraid to speak up.

Irene Magripilis, who died from multi organ failure after elective surgery at Darwin Private Hospital

“Nothing can bring back our mum but we don’t want another person to go through this.

“(Mum) was in agony for three-and-a-half days.”

She said the family was unable to comment on potential legal action against operating surgeon John Treacy.

Coroner Greg Cavanagh said: “There are times when using the more neutral terms ‘error’ or ‘a series of errors’ are inadequate.

“This is such a time.

“To do so has a propensity to disguise the scale of the inadequacies in the medical treatment of Ms Magripilis.”

Dr Treacy conducted a high risk operation to remove a growth adjacent to Ms Magripilis’ bile duct at Darwin Private Hospital on May 27, 2015.

She died of multi-organ failure due to a sepsis infection — caused when an internal stitch came undone and bile leaked into her abdomen — after being transferred to Royal Darwin Hospital’s ICU on May 30.

Mr Cavanagh said Darwin Private Hospital should have had systems to prevent its shortcomings having a “fatal outcome”.

He said the hospital did not properly supervise surgeons and had no multidisciplinary team to help make proper diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Mr Cavanagh found the surgery risk was heightened because the hospital did not have an adequately resourced high dependency unit or adequate escalation policy for deteriorating patients.

“To learn from such failures Darwin Private Hospital and (its operator) Healthscope must be willing to identify and admit failures and follow their own policies to review and improve,” he said.

“In this inquest they have not demonstrated an ability or willingness to do that.”

Mr Cavanagh said doctors and nurses ignored Ms Magripilis’ complaints of burning abdominal pain post-op.

“The doctors at the hospital did not take the time to properly investigate her symptoms until it was too late,” he said.