Baby dies after being given laughing gas instead of oxygen

A baby has died and another is in a serious condition after a Sydney hospital administered nitrous oxide instead of oxygen.

The newborn babies were being treated at a neonatal resuscitation unit at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital when they were accidentally given the gas known as 'laughing gas', reports 7News.

The health minister for New South Wales confirmed the incidents, saying the oxygen outlet was incorrectly installed and certified by a gas company BOC Limited.

Investigations into the error are ongoing.

Nitrous oxide is used in some medical procedures such as dental work, and gets the term 'laughing gas' from the euphoria it can induce in those that inhale it.