Missed chances to save woman's life after fatal stroke misdiagnosed as migraine
An Adelaide woman incorrectly diagnosed with a migraine was twice failed by the health system in the lead-up to her fatal stroke, according to a deputy coroner who reached the "overwhelming conclusion" the 32-year-old's death was preventable.
Kate Sylvia, a 32-year-old librarian from Adelaide, died from a stroke in December 2021 after initially being misdiagnosed with a migraine. The coroner's inquest found that her death was preventable if two crucial opportunities had been taken. Firstly, the ambulance service should have correctly assessed her symptoms and immediately taken her to the hospital.
Secondly, the doctor at the intermediate care center, Lyall Henderson, should have referred her to the hospital after conducting a more thorough neurological examination or probing into her previous migraine diagnosis. Instead, Ms Sylvia was sent to an intermediate care center where she received fluids, anti-nausea medication, and aspirin, but no scan was performed.
The coroner's deputy, Naomi Kereru, concluded that two critical opportunities were missed and recommended that both SA Health and the SA Ambulance Service review their processes to ensure better communication and assessment of patients' symptoms.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
