The tragic death of Christina Lackmann, a 32-year-old aspiring cancer researcher, has prompted a coroner to conclude that her caffeine overdose was preventable. Christina succumbed in her Melbourne apartment in April 2021 after calling for help, unable to rise from the floor and experiencing severe dizziness and numbness. She died alone in her bathroom before help arrived.
Coroner Catherine Fitzgerald found that failing to respond adequately to Christina’s emergency call contributed significantly to her demise. Christina was classified under a non-urgent code, which restricted immediate medical intervention. During the call, she did not inform the operator about her caffeine tablet usage, which later proved critical for diagnosis and treatment. Despite the critical nature of her condition, there was a delay in her priority classification, and ultimately, ambulances dispatched to her were diverted to higher-priority emergencies.
Significant missteps included the inability to connect Christina’s call to a health professional for an assessment, despite numerous attempts by Ambulance Victoria staff to reach her for further information. Approximately seven hours later, paramedics accessed her apartment, only to find she had already passed away. Toxicology reports revealed dangerously high caffeine levels in her blood, indicating a potentially lethal overdose that could not have been achieved through typical caffeine consumption.
Experts indicated that had Christina been treated sooner, especially if the medical teams had been informed of her caffeine intake, it is likely she would have survived. The coroner condemned the ambulance service’s delayed response as “unacceptable,” highlighting systemic issues like ambulance ramping, where numerous emergency vehicles were immobilised at hospitals due to overcrowding.
In response to this incident, Ambulance Victoria has committed to reviewing its operational protocols and working with the health department to alleviate ambulance ramping issues. Their goal is to ensure that 90% of patients can be admitted to emergency departments within 40 minutes, a benchmark that was not met in the most recent reporting period.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of timely medical intervention and the critical need for better communication during emergency calls.