Meningitis link in 7-month-old’s death
A father says he is ‘‘furious’’ his 7-month-old son died from suspected meningitis, despite the baby being taken to hospital three times.
David Chaloner’s baby, Zoren, died on Thursday, November 7 at Ashburton Hospital. Three days earlier, on November 4, Chaloner says Zoren’s mother took him to the hospital because he was ‘‘coughing, he had a runny nose and he had a bit of a fever’’.
‘‘They monitored him for about four to five hours and then they said: It is just a viral fever, take him home, here is some paracetamol and ibuprofen, on your way.’’
The next day, November 5, Zoren still was not coming right, so Chaloner took him back to the hospital. Hospital staff monitored him overnight, then again sent him home. ‘‘They said, if he still the same just call.’’
On Thursday, Chaloner was at work. He said his ex-partner took Zoren to the Tinwald Medical Centre, where staff told them to return to the hospital. That day was Chaloner’s daughter’s birthday is and he went to the supermarket to pick up supplies. He was in the formula section, and called his ex-partner at the hospital to check what to buy.
‘‘She did not answer me and I heard her crying and then she just said: he is not doing OK; so I dropped everything, I jumped in my car, straight off to the hospital. By the time I got there they had him all strapped to the machines and they had his mask over his face and he was really trying to fight for his life.
‘‘It was just real bad, he went downhill real quick.’’
A doctor told him a helicopter had been sent from Christchurch to pick up the boy but Zoren’s condition continued deteriorating.
‘‘The nurse came along and says: he might not make it, so we broke down. We went back in [for] his final moments and he passed away.
‘‘We just held him ... held his dead body.’’
Chaloner said the death was ‘‘the hardest thing’’. He felt ‘‘shattered and heartbroken’’ but also furious at the health services.
A letter to the family from the Coronial Services Unit, seen by Stuff, said an early post-mortem showed Zoren’s cause of death could be acute bacterial meningitis.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal chord, mainly caused by bacteria or viruses. It can be difficult to diagnose because early symptoms are often similar to flu.
The letter said the final cause of death could be different from that early result, as test results and other information could become available.
Canterbury District Health Board chief medical officer Dr Sue Nightingale expressed sympathy to the family.
She would not comment on the baby’s hospital treatment, citing the coronial inquiry.