Death of misdiagnosed boy was preventable: Coroner
The death of a 19-month-old boy who was discharged from hospital after being misdiagnosed was preventable, a coroner has found.
Noah Souvatsis was holidaying with his parents in Myrtleford in Victoria’s northeast on December 29, 2021, when he developed a high fever and started vomiting.
His parents Ben and Steph took him to an urgent care centre in town, with a nurse at the Alpine Health facility noting symptoms of lethargy and increased heart rate.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Noah was taken to the Wangaratta Hospital on the nurse’s advice, where doctor Paul Bumford diagnosed him with gastro and discharged him three hours later.
Noah’s condition continued to decline so his parents took him to a medical centre a few hours later.
The boy was eventually flown to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital and diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.
At 3.11pm on December 30, Noah was declared brain dead and he died the next day.
Coroner Katherine Lorenz delivered her findings into Noah’s death on Tuesday.
She found his death was preventable and Wangaratta Hospital did not provide him with appropriate care when he was first admitted into the emergency department.
Noah’s parents cried as the findings were handed down.
