One baby has died and the second is in a critical condition after the newborn infants were given nitrous oxide (NOx) instead of oxygen (O2) at a hospital in Sydney, Australia.
The wrong gas was dispensed through a neonatal resuscitation outlet at the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in New South Wales (NSW), which was “incorrectly” installed and certified by BOC Limited in July 2015.
The fatal error was discovered on 21st July 2016 after a paediatrician raised concerns about the unexpected death of the newborn. Testing of the gas outlets then found an O2 outlet in the theatre was emitting NOx instead.
Since the discovery, NSW Government’s Minister for Health Jillian Skinner confirmed that the faulty neonatal unit at Bankstown-Lidcombe remains closed. She also stated that the other seven operating theatres in the hospital were inspected but were found to be functioning normally.
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