A young doctor who briefly saw Aishwarya Aswath the night she died of sepsis in a Perth hospital says he regrets not investigating her condition further.
Seven-year-old Aishwarya died in April 2021, hours after presenting to the emergency department at Perth Children’s Hospital with a fever and unusually cold hands.
She had been left in a waiting room for more than 90 minutes, despite her parents pleading with staff for increased attention as her condition worsened.
A young doctor who briefly saw Aishwarya Aswath the night she died of sepsis in a Perth hospital says he regrets not investigating her condition further. (Supplied)
An inquest into his death is examining why no action was taken earlier on his concerns.
Aishwarya had been unwell for about 36 hours when her father Aswath Chavittupara and mother Prasitha Sasidharan took her to the hospital at 5.30 pm on Easter Saturday.
His first interaction with a doctor, junior registrar Tony Teo, came about 10 minutes later.
CCTV footage played on the track showed it only lasted 20 seconds.
Dr Teo examined Aishwarya and identified discoloration in her right iris after a staff member relayed Ms Sasidharan’s concerns about the girl’s eyes to her.
Testifying on Thursday, Dr Teo confirmed that he did not have access to the triage notes and was not aware that Aishwarya had any other symptoms.
He told his colleagues that Aishwarya would need a further eye assessment, but did not make any notes.
Seven-year-old Aishwarya died in April 2021, hours after presenting to the emergency department at Perth Children’s Hospital with a fever and unusually cold hands. (9 News)
Soon after, a nurse recorded that Aishwarya had an elevated heart rate and temperature of 38.8°C, above the threshold to consider sepsis protocols.
Dr Teo said the hospital was understaffed and his aim was to treat Aishwarya efficiently. Assistant State Coroner Sarah Linton asked if she would have had a better picture if she had “slowed down a bit and really talked to the parents”.
“In hindsight, yes I would have,” replied Dr Teo, adding that he regretted not investigating further.
Nurse Jacqueline Taylor had earlier given Aishwarya a score of four, the second least severe category.
His assessment of Aishwarya was conducted entirely through a screen.
Ms Taylor told the inquest she had been running the triage desk alone with 96 patients presenting during the afternoon shift.
Although hands-on assessments were preferable, they were not possible due to time constraints.
Ms Taylor believed Aishwarya, who she recorded as having diarrhoea, vomiting and a headache, probably had gastro. He said he didn’t know the girl had a fever.
Aishwarya had been unwell for about 36 hours when her father Aswath Chavittupara and mother Prasitha Sasidharan took her to the hospital at 5.30 pm on Easter Saturday. (9 News)
Ms Taylor maintained that the triage score was appropriate, but acknowledged that Aishwarya’s care could have increased earlier with a more thorough assessment.
He said staff had been stressed and demoralized around the time of the incident.
“The whole department was under pressure, time pressure and exhaustion,” he said.
A recent increase in staff, including additional triage support, had not yet raised the emergency department to an “ideal standard”.
Aishwarya’s parents have said hospital staff were rude and dismissive and showed little urgency in addressing their concerns.
The girl was described as floppy and barely able to hold her head up when she was finally moved from the waiting room to an assessment room and then to the resuscitation area.
She went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead around 9 p.m., having succumbed to an infection related to group A strep.
The investigation continues Friday.