Coroner rules a misplaced breathing tube contributed to the first UK child Covid death
23 March 2023
Coroner rules a misplaced breathing tube contributed to the first UK child Covid death
It has been reported that an issue with a breathing tube may have contributed to the death of a child after he contracted Covid in March 2020.
The child was placed in intensive care at King’s College Hospital, London with symptoms including fever, coughing and vomiting. His family were unable to visit him due to lockdown rules at the time.
The child died of acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by Covid pneumonia. However, hours before he died, doctors discovered that the endotracheal tube which was helping him to breathe was in the wrong position. Dr T Vince, a Pediatric Intensive Care Consultant made the decision not to correct the positioning of the tube as the child was lying on his front and it would have meant turning him over. She felt it was safer to leave him in a front lying position.
The child suffered a cardiac arrest before he died. Another paediatric doctor pointed out that the tube was too high but, after a conversation about the risks, the consultant decided not to reposition the tube. It was recorded that the child was improving at the time it was decided not to reposition the tube.
The paediatric intensive care consultant agreed that the cause of death should include the wrongly placed tube. The doctor also agreed that the tube being wrongly placed contributed to the child’s death.
The doctor who was concerned about the tube being too high believed that the situation was urgent because if the tube dislodged then it could potentially be life threatening.
However, the consultant’s opinion was that a dislodged tube in previously fit and healthy children should not easily lead to a cardiac arrest leading her to question if the child was sicker than they first thought.
The coroner concluded that the child would not have died when he did if the breathing tube had been repositioned. The tube became displaced triggering an unexpected cardiac arrest.
However the coroner made it clear that although the tube’s positioning contributed to the child’s death, he did not find that he would not have died at another time had the tube been correctly positioned.
Incorrectly used medical equipment can lead to a claim for medical negligence if it can be proved that the harm would not have occurred to the patient but for the negligence. Please contact us if you have any concerns about a potential claim. Our experienced members of staff will be happy to have a free and confidential chat with you.
If you wish to discuss a potential clinical negligence claim with our specialist solicitors you can contact us through our online enquiry form, free phone on 0800 008 7450, call our mobile friendly number 0333 2400340 or text "CURTIS" to 82727.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/02/misplaced-tube-contributed-to-first-uk-child-covid-death-coroner-rules