An inquest into the death of young Adelaide librarian Kate Sylvia has heard failings from multiple medical departments may have contributed to her death.
Sylvia died in December 2021 from a blood clot on the brain after initially being diagnosed with a bad migraine.
Her mother was the first to give evidence at the six-day-long inquest today.
“If the system hadn’t failed her she would still be with us today,” Kathryn Sylvia said.
“She should never have died.”
Today, a coronial inquest heard that on December 1, 2021, the young librarian reported having a horrible headache.
The following morning she had “migraine” pain and was in “agony”, and her mother later noticed her speech was also slurred.
When she started vomiting, an ambulance took Sylvia to the immediate care centre at Sefton Park, where she was diagnosed with a migraine and sent home.
Her slurred speech was attributed to side effects of her pain medication.
Sylvia’s condition deteriorated on December 3, prompting her family to rush her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
A scan revealed bleeding on the brain, and she was to be transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital at 7pm. However, because of ambulance delays, the transfer was delayed until after midnight.
Medical professionals involved in Kate’s assessment and treatment will testify during the inquest.
“This family deserves answers, every South Australian deserves answers as to why this happened, why so many things went wrong and Kate is no longer with us,” lawyer Nick Xenophon said.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
