Latest news with #Warrillow
The Age
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Age
The desperate fight to save mushroom lunch guests from death cap poisoning
The intensive care expert said that by the time the Wilkinsons arrived the following day, the patients were being given a number of treatments including plasma exchanges and vitamin C. The court heard Gail Patterson's condition was rapidly deteriorating, and she was in a state of advanced shock. By August 2, 2023, she was extremely unwell, and her liver had stopped working. 'She was on everything that we had,' Warrillow said. Don Patterson also continued to deteriorate in the days after his admission and his bowel stopped functioning normally. Loading 'It was thought the only possibility of saving his life was through a liver transplant,' Warrillow said. The jury heard Don underwent a liver transplant on August 4, 2023, following extensive medical consultation, but it didn't save him. 'He got relentlessly worse, unfortunately,' Warrillow said. 'All of our treatments had unfortunately failed, and he was dying.' Warrillow said Heather Wilkinson was in a state of multiple organ failure and rapidly going downhill when she arrived in intensive care. The jury heard doctors discussed the possibility of liver transplants for Gail and Heather, but specialists decided the sisters were too sick to undergo surgery. They both died on August 4, 2023. Don died the next day. As Heather's death was detailed to the jury, two family members in the back row of the court comforted one another. During Warrillow's evidence, another female family member stared at the floor, and wiped her eyes and nose with a handkerchief as she became upset. Loading Warrillow told the court Ian Wilkinson's condition also declined in the days after he arrived at the hospital, with high levels of acid in his blood and an abnormal heart rhythm. But the pastor's condition slowly improved from August 5, 2023, and he was eventually taken off breathing tubes on August 14, 2023 and later discharged from the intensive care unit. 'It was very slow because he was coming from a situation of extreme critical illness,' Warrillow said. The court heard Ian was moved to the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital on September 11, 2023, and eventually returned home. Asked by prosecutor Sarah Lenthall how close Ian was to death Warrillow replied: 'We thought he was going to die, he was very close.' Warrillow said Amanita poison tended to recycle inside the body, causing persistent injury to a patient's liver. He said there was usually some time between the ingestion of the toxins and the development of symptoms such as severe diarrhoea and vomiting. It was also common for patients to show some improvement before their organs shut down and the patient rapidly deteriorated, he said. Warrillow said treatments tried to interrupt the course of the illness and support the failing organs, but patients exposed to Amanita mushroom poison had a high mortality rate even when provided with appropriate care. 'The treatments are, well, clearly not 100 per cent effective,' he said. 'In fact, there's a very high mortality – there's a high mortality recognised even with what would be considered optimal care.'
Sydney Morning Herald
23-05-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
The desperate fight to save death cap mushroom lunch patients
The intensive care expert said that by the time the Wilkinsons arrived the following day, the patients were being given a number of treatments including plasma exchanges and vitamin C. The court heard Gail Patterson's condition was rapidly deteriorating, and she was in a state of advanced shock. By August 2, 2023, she was extremely unwell, and her liver had stopped working. 'She was on everything that we had,' Warrillow said. Don Patterson also continued to deteriorate in the days after his admission and his bowel stopped functioning normally. 'It was thought the only possibility of saving his life was through a liver transplant,' Warrillow said. The jury heard Don underwent a liver transplant on August 4, 2023, following extensive medical consultation, but it didn't save him. 'He got relentlessly worse, unfortunately,' Warrillow said. 'All of our treatments had unfortunately failed, and he was dying.' Warrillow said Heather Wilkinson was in a state of multiple organ failure and rapidly going downhill when she arrived in intensive care. The jury heard doctors discussed the possibility of liver transplants for Gail and Heather, but specialists decided the sisters were too sick to undergo surgery. They both died on August 4, 2023. Don died the next day. As Heather's death was detailed to the jury, two family members in the back row of the court comforted one another. During Warrillow's evidence, another female family member stared at the floor, and wiped her eyes and nose with a handkerchief as she became upset. Warrillow told the court Ian Wilkinson's condition also declined in the days after he arrived at the hospital, with high levels of acid in his blood and an abnormal heart rhythm. Loading But the pastor's condition slowly improved from August 5, 2023, and he was eventually taken off breathing tubes on August 14, 2023 and later discharged from the intensive care unit. 'It was very slow because he was coming from a situation of extreme critical illness,' Warrillow said. The court heard Ian was moved to the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital on September 11, 2023, and eventually returned home. Asked by prosecutor Sarah Lenthall how close Ian was to death Warrillow replied: 'We thought he was going to die, he was very close.' Warrillow said Amanita poison tended to recycle inside the body, causing persistent injury to a patient's liver. He said there was usually some time between the ingestion of the toxins and the development of symptoms such as severe diarrhoea and vomiting. It was also common for patients to show some improvement before their organs shut down and the patient rapidly deteriorated, he said. Warrillow said treatments tried to interrupt the course of the illness and support the failing organs, but patients exposed to Amanita mushroom poison had a high mortality rate even when provided with appropriate care. 'The treatments are, well, clearly not 100 per cent effective,' he said. 'In fact, there's a very high mortality – there's a high mortality recognised even with what would be considered optimal care.'
The Age
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Age
The desperate fight to save death cap mushroom lunch patients
The intensive care expert said that by the time the Wilkinsons arrived the following day, the patients were being given a number of treatments including plasma exchanges and vitamin C. The court heard Gail Patterson's condition was rapidly deteriorating, and she was in a state of advanced shock. By August 2, 2023, she was extremely unwell, and her liver had stopped working. 'She was on everything that we had,' Warrillow said. Don Patterson also continued to deteriorate in the days after his admission and his bowel stopped functioning normally. 'It was thought the only possibility of saving his life was through a liver transplant,' Warrillow said. The jury heard Don underwent a liver transplant on August 4, 2023, following extensive medical consultation, but it didn't save him. 'He got relentlessly worse, unfortunately,' Warrillow said. 'All of our treatments had unfortunately failed, and he was dying.' Warrillow said Heather Wilkinson was in a state of multiple organ failure and rapidly going downhill when she arrived in intensive care. The jury heard doctors discussed the possibility of liver transplants for Gail and Heather, but specialists decided the sisters were too sick to undergo surgery. They both died on August 4, 2023. Don died the next day. As Heather's death was detailed to the jury, two family members in the back row of the court comforted one another. During Warrillow's evidence, another female family member stared at the floor, and wiped her eyes and nose with a handkerchief as she became upset. Warrillow told the court Ian Wilkinson's condition also declined in the days after he arrived at the hospital, with high levels of acid in his blood and an abnormal heart rhythm. Loading But the pastor's condition slowly improved from August 5, 2023, and he was eventually taken off breathing tubes on August 14, 2023 and later discharged from the intensive care unit. 'It was very slow because he was coming from a situation of extreme critical illness,' Warrillow said. The court heard Ian was moved to the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital on September 11, 2023, and eventually returned home. Asked by prosecutor Sarah Lenthall how close Ian was to death Warrillow replied: 'We thought he was going to die, he was very close.' Warrillow said Amanita poison tended to recycle inside the body, causing persistent injury to a patient's liver. He said there was usually some time between the ingestion of the toxins and the development of symptoms such as severe diarrhoea and vomiting. It was also common for patients to show some improvement before their organs shut down and the patient rapidly deteriorated, he said. Warrillow said treatments tried to interrupt the course of the illness and support the failing organs, but patients exposed to Amanita mushroom poison had a high mortality rate even when provided with appropriate care. 'The treatments are, well, clearly not 100 per cent effective,' he said. 'In fact, there's a very high mortality – there's a high mortality recognised even with what would be considered optimal care.'
