The state’s health department is scrambling to test every gas outlet installed in recent years following the death of a newborn baby in Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital this year.
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The newborn, along with a second now in a critical condition, was mistakenly given nitrous oxide gas instead of oxygen in the hospital's neonatal resuscitation unit.
The oxygen outlet was incorrectly installed and certified by BOC Limited in July 2015, NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said in a statement.
“Testing of the gas outlets found one oxygen outlet was emitting nitrous oxide instead of oxygen,” she said.
A spokesperson for the South East Regional Hospital at Bega has confirmed the outlets of the newly open facility are being tested.
“Although these tragic events are isolated incidents, every medical gas outlet installed in a NSW Health facility in the past five years is being urgently tested to ensure the correct gas is being emitted,” the spokesperson said this week.
“Further, the state’s 15 Local Health Districts and two specialty networks have reviewed their protocols for ensuring medical gas outlets are correctly installed and verified in compliance with Australian standards.
“The new South East Regional Hospital follows strict policies and protocols for the installation and checking of gas outlets within the facility.”
BOC Limited is a member of The Linde Group which supplies compressed and bulk gases, chemicals and equipment around the globe, the company’s website states.
The company said in a statement they were “conducting a full internal inquiry and has appointed a special investigation team to ensure that the cause is clearly identified”.
Ms Skinner said the legal General Counsel for NSW Health has written to BOC Limited, demanding urgent advice on how the error occurred and if there are any systemic issues in BOC processes which may impact other sites.