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A doctor has described being blindsided and heartbroken by the death of a teenager who was sent home three times from Broken Hill Hospital, as he delivered a tearful apology to the patientâs family.
Fronting the NSW Coroners Court on Tuesday, David Hooper revealed he was never interviewed by health officials when they conducted a formal investigation into the death of Alex Braes in 2017.
Broken Hill teenager Alex Braes, who died of septic shock.
Mr Braes, 18, was misdiagnosed as having a torn knee tendon while he was battling a life-threatening bacterial infection.
By his fourth presentation to hospital, Mr Braes was in septic shock and went into cardiac arrest after being flown to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
Broken Hill doctor David Hooper apologises after death of teenager Braes brisbanetimes.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from brisbanetimes.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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In the days before a teenager died after presenting to hospital with a sore knee, he had done an internet search asking can pain kill you , his father has told an inquest.
Key points:
Experts cannot agree on an exact cause of death
But may have died from an infection from an ingrown toenail
Alex Braes died at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney on September 22, 2017, after being transferred from Broken Hill Hospital.
The 18-year-old TAFE student s death was featured in a Four Corners report, which revealed he presented to Broken Hill Hospital s emergency department four times before vital signs observations were administered.