The family of a young boy who was left with medical debris in his throat following a surgery have received €12,500 in compensation.
Jill Crawford told the court in an affidavit how her baby had gagged and retched at home as he tried to breathe through thick mucus saliva.
“He was so unwell that our family clergyman drove half the length of Donegal to be with him and was shocked to see how low he was,” Crawford said.
O’Neill said that from medical reports it was revealed that a throat pack had not been inserted in Bobby’s throat during the initial surgery to prevent saliva, blood and other surgical debris from tracking down in the pharynx and respiratory tract.
As a consequence of pink alginate gel having entered his airway and remaining there on his discharge from hospital, Bobby developed a moderate to severe post-operative chest infection which had resulted in his readmission to hospital.
Bobby was at “such very serious risk” that his parents, fearing an ambulance would take too long, had been advised and decided to drive him back to the hospital with an admission recommendation from their GP.
The court heard that on discovery of the reason for Bobby’s condition he received medical treatment but throughout a six weeks recovery had suffered discomfort, distress and pain.
O’Neill said Bobby had sued the hospital for medical negligence through his mother and a settlement offer of €12,500 had been made. He recommended its acceptance to the court.
He said Crawford was more concerned that some other child might suffer even worse consequences than about the amount of the settlement.
Tallaght Solicitors are Medical Negligence specialists, so if you have been affected by this case, please visit our Medical Negligence page.
Source: The Journal