Heart attack boy, 6, left to die in mix-up over identity

A SIX-year-old boy was left to die in his hospital bed when a medic confused him with a child who had a “do not resuscitate” order, an inquest heard.

0

Jack's parents Nicky and Victor Adcock

Staff nurse Katherine Ramsden yesterday wept as she recalled Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba moving in to block a team battling to save the life of Jack Adcock.

The youngster, who had Down’s Syndrome, suffered a heart attack but the paediatric registrar did not even look to see who he was before demanding work on him stop, the inquest was told.

Ms Ramsden said she questioned the move “in her head” but failed to speak up as she was the most junior member in the room.

Wiping away tears, she said: “At about 7.45pm, his mum called for help and his skin was mottled, and his breathing was bad and his lips were blue.

“I realised straight away that he was going into cardiac arrest. The nurse in charge called a crash team and that’s when the doctors came running because they realised something was seriously wrong. While they were trying to resuscitate him, Dr Bawa-Garba came and said he is not for resuscitation. It was very overwhelming. I tried to save him and I couldn’t.”

Coroner Catherine Mason asked her whether she had questioned the decision to stop resuscitation.

She replied: “I was questioning in my head. But the doctor was more senior than me, and I was the most junior member of staff in the room.

“The crash team hadn’t been caring for Jack, and I had, but at the time, I wasn’t fully aware of the procedures.

“But now I know that the order to not resuscitate should have been clarified with the parents at that time.”

Jack Adcock died after being admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary with pneumonia in February 2011

I was questioning in my head. But the doctor was more senior than me, and I was the most junior member of staff in the room

Katherine Ramsden

Dr Bawa-Garba’s mistake was spotted by another paediatrician and the resuscitation restarted but after 50 minutes he was declared dead.

Jack Adcock, from Glen Parva, Leicestershire, died after being admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary with pneumonia on February 18 2011. At an earlier hearing, Dr Bawa-Garba told the coroner she stopped staff treating Jack after mistaking him for another child.

Dr Bawa-Garba admitted she was “not on top of things” after working a 12-hour shift without a break.

In hindsight her skills needed “refreshing” after taking more than a year off to have a baby, she added.

Jack’s mother Nicky Adcock said her “tough little cookie” was never given a “do not resuscitate order”.

The inquest continues.