Title |
Death by anaphylactic shock in an institution: an accident or negligence?
|
---|---|
Published in |
International Journal of Legal Medicine, September 2018
|
DOI | 10.1007/s00414-018-1929-y |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Sandra Burkhardt, Pia Genet, Sara Sabatasso, Romano La Harpe |
Abstract |
This is a description of a man, institutionalised for learning difficulties, known to have an allergy to seafood. After eating a pie, the patient quickly developed dyspnoea and vomiting. The staff at the institution administered epinephrine and called the emergency services. Despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the patient died shortly after being admitted to the emergency department of the University Hospitals of Geneva. In the light of the circumstances of the death and of a discrepancy between the information given to the police by the staff at the institution looking after the patient on the one hand, and the preliminary elements of the investigation on the other hand, it was suspected that there was failure in care of the patient and our institute was asked to carry out an autopsy. Basing on all the investigations carried out, the cause of death was anaphylactic reaction following the ingestion of seafood, contrary to what had been alleged by the staff at the home. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Australia | 1 | 50% |
Unknown | 1 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 50% |
Members of the public | 1 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 20 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Other | 3 | 15% |
Lecturer | 2 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 2 | 10% |
Student > Postgraduate | 2 | 10% |
Researcher | 2 | 10% |
Other | 3 | 15% |
Unknown | 6 | 30% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 9 | 45% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 1 | 5% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 1 | 5% |
Social Sciences | 1 | 5% |
Design | 1 | 5% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 7 | 35% |