Child hand amputation: Report of enquiry committee
The child had developed cardiac arrest during the surgery and was admitted in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for a month, and discharged.
CHENNAI: The expert doctors committee investigating the case of alleged negligence while treating a 1.5 year old child Mohamed Makir at Rajiv Gandhi government General Hospital (RGGGH) which led to amputation of hand of the boy, gave its report on Wednesday.
Also Read: Alleged medical negligence: Child's parents appear before investigation committee
The report stated that the child was born preterm with low-birth weight and diagnosed with tetra ventricular hydro cephalous with Atrial Septal Defect at 5 months. He had a developmental delay and lower limbs spasiticity.
On May 2022, the kid underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid. The child had developed cardiac arrest during the surgery and was admitted in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for a month, and discharged. The child was on regular follow up by the neuro specialist.
On June 25, the child visited the outpatient department after the shunt came out through anus. The doctors found that he was extremely low weight and cardiologist and anaesthetist observed that he was at high risk, and later the child underwent VP shunt replacement surgery on the same night.
The shunt tube was sent to the biology and biochemistry department for culture and analysis, which revealed brain infection post pseudomonas.
On June 29, the mother of the child noted that redness in the right hand after administration of IV drugs. When she informed the staff nurse and the venflon was removed. The next day, the team of professors and assistant professors examined the child and diagnosis of thrombophlebitis that hampers the movement of a part of the body, was made and treated accordingly.
Following increasing discoloration of right hand and loss of movements on July 1 the vascular surgeon and radiologist were asked to give opinion. Following color doppler, the child was found to have acute ischaemia as the blood flow reduced in the right upper hand. The child was shifted to Institute of Child Health, Egmore for amputation.
The parents had alleged negligence while treating the child but the doctors denied the same and said that the child suffered from thrombophlebitis and that is why hand lost functioning.
