Death of Ailbhe ruled medical misadventure

A CORONER has returned a verdict of medical misadventure in the case of a six-year-old girl who died four days after she was admitted to hospital suffering from low blood sugar.

Aibhe Conroy died at Dublin’s Temple Street Children’s Hospital on December 14, 2011.

On December 11 she had been admitted to Galway University Hospital suffering from hypoglycaemia – or low blood sugar – and weakness. She was also vomiting.

She initially responded to treatment, but within 90 minutes she suffered a respiratory arrest and had to be resuscitated.

Aibhe, from Gowla, Connemara, Co. Galway, was transferred to GUH’s intensive care unit and then to Temple Street, where she died four days later. The cause of death was cerebral oedema following a prolonged epi s ode of hypoglycaemia. The coroner said there were only two verdict options open to him, that of medical misadventure and a narrative verdict.

Coroner Dr Brian Farrell identified the lack of critical blood samples to determine whether Aibhe had an underlying metabolic or endocrinal issue as a risk factor and noted that the results of a cortisol test shortly before she died could not be relied on. He added that the verdict contained ‘no connotation of blame or exoneration’.

The family’s solicitor, Damien Tansey, thanked the coroner for his ‘painstaking approach’ on behalf of Aibhe’s parents John and Kathleen Conroy. He said they bear no ‘ill will’ to any of the hospital staff, adding: ‘They know that none of the doctors or nurses intended this to happen.’