An inquest determined that a 20-month-old child died after emergency surgery because the doctor was inexperienced and he botched the procedure, London’s Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
Indya Trevelyan stopped breathing a few minutes after doctors performed a procedure to clear her blocked airways.
The toddler was brought to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton, England, because she was suffering from the croup, a common respiratory infection in children.
When her breathing became labored, surgeons gave her an anesthetic so they could carry out a tracheotomy.
Anesthetist Dr. David Campbell, who was in charge of the procedure, had no prior experience with tracheotomies, the inquest heard.
The doctors used stitches to fasten the tracheotomy tube, and when the tube became dislodged, Campbell tried to reinsert it, but he ripped out the stitches.
Indya suffered cardio-respiratory arrest, which ultimately led to her death.
A report from Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said Indya’s death was “preventable.”
Click here for more on this story from the Daily Mail and to see photos.
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