Battle to save baby in vain
WIRE LEFT IN INFANT DURING SURGERY, BUT DID NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE BOY’S DEATH
A BABY died aged two weeks despite the best efforts of surgeons and specialists.
The boy was treated at Glenfield Hospital’s East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre (EMCGC) after being diagnosed with a heart defect before he was born.
Staff explained to his parents, who live outside of the county, the risks of surgery, and the outlook.
It is understood the boy had several “complex complications” and the procedure was carried out in an attempt to save his life.
During an operation to have a stent fitted the baby’s right ventricle was perforated and he went into cardiac arrest.
CPR was carried out and the boy was placed on extra corporeal membrane oxygenation but died a few days later.
The tale came to light after members of the county council’s health scrutiny committee talked about never events at Leicester’s hospitals – serious, largely preventable safety incidents.
The baby was involved in one of five the trust has declared in the last 12 months. It was categorised as “a retained foreign object post procedure”.
A report with limited information about the incident states part of a guidewire used during the operation was retained as medics battled to save the boy’s life. Investigations have confirmed the never event in no way contributed to the baby’s death.
Professor Frances Bu’Lock, a consultant paediatric cardiologist at the EMCHC, said: “This was a tragic case with a tragic outcome.
“There was a mistake made during this baby’s care and the trust will learn from that, but it didn’t contribute to his death.”
Prof Bu’Lock said it is not unusual for babies to be sent to EMCHC from all over the country.
“We are routinely seeing patients from other areas. That’s sometimes down to the expertise and staff we have here, and sometimes down to other heart centres not having capacity,” she said.
“We are very proud of the work we do here and have some fantastic outcomes.
“Unfortunately, though, it doesn’t always work. We do what we can but it isn’t always enough. That’s a challenging side to the role.
“I have a card on my desk from the family of a teenage girl I had under my care for many years. She recently died and her parents wrote to me.
“It’s not easy but knowing that they were as comfortable as a parent who has lost a child could be with the outcome is of comfort to me, too.
“Then there are the rewards when it goes as we hope. The vast majority of patients we treat do grow up and live healthy or relatively healthy lives.
“The reality is there are children alive today who wouldn’t have been if it wasn’t for what we do here, you get a real kick out of that.
“When you see a patient who started life with the odds against them as a teenager or an adult, it’s incredibly rewarding and is the reason we do what we do.”
The Mercury has requested more information about the other never events at Leicester’s hospitals – which include two incidences of “wrong site surgery”.