Learn Dutch: De patiënt was ten gevolge van een zware besmetting overleden. - The patient had passed away as a result of a severe infection.

Ten gevolge van (as a result of) is highly formal and mostly used in written Dutch, official reports, or news. In everyday spoken Dutch, you would normally just use door (because of) or als gevolg van.

What does the ten in ten gevolge mean?

Ten is a leftover from the old Dutch case system, combining the preposition te with the article den. You will see these old forms in fixed formal expressions like ten gevolge van (as a result of) and ten koste van (at the expense of). You don't need to learn the old grammar rules, just memorize the phrases as a whole.

Why is the sentence using was ... overleden instead of had ... overleden for "had passed away"?

The verb overlijden (to pass away) expresses a change of state. In Dutch, verbs indicating a change of state always use zijn (to be) rather than hebben (to have) for their perfect tenses. So, "had passed away" becomes was overleden.

Does besmetting only translate to "infection"?

It means "infection" in a medical context, but it also translates to "contamination" (such as a chemical spill or food contamination). It comes from the verb besmetten (to infect or contaminate).