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🇦🇺 Australia /Health & Science

Family of young mother who died after missed UTI speak out

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Gia Lam, a 32-year-old mother from Vietnam, died from sepsis caused by a missed urinary tract infection.
  • Despite multiple healthcare interactions before and after giving birth, her infection was repeatedly overlooked, leading to a preventable death.
  • Her friend and family are now speaking out about the missed diagnoses and premature discharge from the hospital.

Gia Lam, a 32-year-old mother who moved to Sydney from Vietnam in 2010, dreamed of walking her son to school hand-in-hand with her friend Lily Tran's son. But this future was stolen from her when she died from sepsis just days after giving birth in early 2019.

She was innocent, sweet, outgoing, very reliable.

— Lily TranGia Lam's friend, describing her.

An inquest later found Gia's death was preventable, stemming from a urinary tract infection that was repeatedly missed by healthcare professionals. In the weeks leading up to her birth, Gia attended two antenatal appointments where the infection could have been detected. On January 21, she reported difficulty passing urine but was advised to drink more fluids. Ten days later, a urine test came back abnormal, but the results were never followed up.

She died from sepsis, caused after a urinary tract infection (UTI) was missed repeatedly by healthcare professionals, in what a coroner later found was a preventable death.

— Article textExplaining the cause of Gia Lam's death.

Following childbirth, Gia experienced pain and a concerning odor from her perineum, details a coroner noted should have prompted urgent testing. Despite this, she was discharged prematurely and inappropriately, with no interpreter provided despite her limited English, just before Chinese New Year. She returned home, but the infection had already set in, and she died within two days.

On January 21, she told hospital staff she was having difficulty passing urine and in response she was told to drink more fluids.

— Article textDetailing one of the missed opportunities to diagnose Gia Lam's infection.

A midwife visiting Gia as part of an at-home care program noted a strong smell from her perineum, but instead of recognizing the severity of the infection, focused on Gia's hygiene. Lily Tran, who was on speakerphone as a translator, heard the midwife repeatedly comment on Gia not being clean, failing to grasp how unwell her friend had become. Now, Gia's friend and the family raising her son are sharing their story.

Ten days later on January 31, four days before she died, a urine test came back abnormal but the results were never followed up.

— Article textDescribing another instance where Gia Lam's infection was not addressed.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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