Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe has launched an investigation into an incident at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital, in which a then three-week-old baby girl sustained injuries to her hands while receiving treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The baby was born at the Point Fortin Hospital on October 9 and was transferred to the San Fernando Teaching Hospital’s NICU on October 11 for treatment of pneumonia.
The child’s mother said she received a telephone call from the NICU on October 12 informing her that the baby’s hands had been injured. The mother said she was told hospital staff did not know how the injuries occurred. She was subsequently advised to meet with plastic surgeons.
In the email, the mother said on October 13, doctors initially described the injuries as first-degree burns and indicated they were expected to heal within two weeks.
However, after being allowed to see her daughter’s hands on October 19, she said she became concerned about their worsening condition.
Doctors subsequently advised that surgery would be necessary to save the baby’s hands.
At a meeting with doctors and nurses on October 22, the mother said she was told the injuries were not burns but were instead caused by a Staphylococcus infection.
She said doctors advised that surgery was no longer necessary and the baby’s hands could be treated with dressings at home. The child was discharged later that day.
However, two days later, while changing the dressing, the mother noticed that the baby’s middle finger had become swollen and purple. She immediately returned to the hospital, where the baby was readmitted.
The mother said several tests, including an ultrasound, echocardiogram, blood tests, an X-ray and an electrocardiogram, were conducted. She said following a further assessment by a specialist on November 3, she was informed that the middle finger could not be saved and would have to be amputated.
The specialist reportedly advised that blood circulation remained in the other fingers, although scarring was expected.
The mother also expressed frustration over the difficulty she encountered in obtaining an explanation about how the injuries occurred and the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s treatment.
She said a meeting with the hospital’s chief executive officer and medical personnel on November 3 failed to provide the answers she had been seeking.
The mother is now calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and greater accountability as she prepares for her daughter to undergo surgery.
Responding to questions from Guardian Media, Bodoe said he had requested a full report on the incident.
“There is a standard procedure for investigating and treating any adverse event in the RHAs. However, I have asked for a full report on this matter,” he said.
CEO responds
Contacted yesterday, SWRHA CEO Dr Shevanand Gopeesingh said the “authority categorically denies responsibility for any alleged injuries to any infant during the course of hospital stay.”
“Our incubators have been recently tested and found to be fully functional and not defective or faulty. We did, however, receive a transfer from Point Fortin Hospital of a neonate with severe, life-threatening infection of internal organs which spread via blood to the extremity.
“The severe internal infection was treated successfully, and the neonate survived,” Gopeesingh said.
He said the child’s mother has been offered counselling in this difficult moment.
“We continue to be a caring, compassionate, competent organisation,” Gopeesingh said.
