Auckland woman dies after breathing tube mistakenly placed in oesophagus

Monday 1 September 2025 · 5 outlets · 5 reports · updated Mon 1 Sep 2025, 2:19pm

In this story Health and Disability Commissioner

A 73-year-old woman died after a breathing tube was incorrectly inserted into her oesophagus instead of her trachea during a 2021 surgery in Auckland. The Health and Disability Commissioner found that the error went unnoticed for 17 minutes, resulting in an unsurvivable brain injury.

How they headlined it

2pm

1. NZ HeraldMon 1 Sep 2025, 2:00pm

   Auckland woman dies during surgery after breathing tube inserted into food pipe (opens in new tab)

2. StuffMon 1 Sep 2025, 2:00pm

   Patient dies after breathing tube misplaced during operation (opens in new tab)

3. RNZMon 1 Sep 2025, 2:00pm

   Auckland woman dies after breathing tube mistakenly inserted into food pipe (opens in new tab)

4. Otago Daily TimesMon 1 Sep 2025, 2:17pm

   Woman dies after breathing tube mistakenly inserted in food pipe (opens in new tab)

5. 1News via RNZMon 1 Sep 2025, 2:19pm

   Woman dies after breathing tube mistakenly inserted into food pipe (opens in new tab)