In a devastating incident in Preston, a father lost his life due to an extended delay in connecting to Victoria’s triple-zero emergency service.
The delay occurred when the victim, Nick Panagiotopoulos, initially sought assistance before experiencing a cardiac arrest.
According to cardiologist Associate Professor Nicholas Cox, the delay of more than 16 minutes in reaching an Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) call taker significantly reduced Panagiotopoulos’ chance of survival.
During the Coroners Court proceedings, Cox stressed that if emergency services had arrived within seven to 10 minutes after the Greek Australian father’s cardiac arrest, the outcome might have been different, and his chances of survival would have been high.
The court heard that the delay in triple-zero answering and subsequent failure of emergency services to arrive were contributing factors to Panagiotopoulos’ untimely death.
The tragic death that occurred in October 2021, initially reported by The Age in December of the same year, prompted a review by ESTA’s regulator, the Inspector-General for Emergency Management. Subsequent revelations by The Age of 11 more deaths linked to ESTA call-answering delays in March the following year led to the Victorian government announcing a $115.6 million reform package for the overstressed emergency service.
As the Panagiotopoulos inquest unfolded, it was revealed on Monday that the coroner’s investigation might scrutinise the adequacy of the 2022 inspector-general’s review of emergency ambulance call answer performance.
This includes an assessment of how the surge in calls during the pandemic was identified, who was responsible for responding, and what actions were taken in response.
Despite the scheduled week-long inquest, it was adjourned until March due to a substantial amount of information received from ESTA and Telstra, the entity directing Australians’ triple-zero calls to the appropriate emergency service.
The complexity and volume of the material exceeded initial expectations.
Before the adjournment, forensic pathologist Dr. Hans de Boer revealed toxicology results showing evidence of cocaine in Panagiotopoulos’ system before his death. However, Cox clarified that while cocaine could have contributed to the heart attack, his other risk factors, such as a family history of heart disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and past smoking, played a more significant role.
Panagiotopoulos’ desperate call for an ambulance at 12.34pm faced a series of obstacles, with no ESTA operator available to accept the call.
The 16-minute and 26-second delay in reaching an ESTA operator potentially hindered the initiation of effective CPR, leading to suboptimal resuscitation attempts.
Cox, who listened to Panagiotopoulos’ call, emphasised that if emergency services had arrived before the cardiac arrest, the chances of survival would have been nearly 100 percent.
Timely intervention within seven to 10 minutes after the cardiac arrest could have significantly increased the likelihood of survival, underlining the critical importance of prompt emergency response.
