Decision Report 201802804

Summary

Miss C complained about the treatment which her late child (Child A) received at Wishaw General Hospital. Child A had recently had a vaccination and had developed a temperature and a rash. Miss C asked the staff if Child A could have Kawasaki Disease (heart disease) and was told that they did not meet the criteria. Instead Child A was treated for a viral infection and then discharged home after a period of observation. Although Child A showed some signs of improvement, over two weeks later they were admitted to hospital where they died. The post mortem report showed findings in keeping with Kawasaki Disease. Miss C felt that staff should have carried out additional investigations when Child A was originally at the hospital and the disease would have been identified sooner.

We took independent advice from a consultant paediatrician. We found that the staff carried out appropriate assessments when Child A attended the hospital and that it was reasonable to have arrived at a working diagnosis of viral infection based on their reported symptoms. Child A did not meet the criteria for Kawasaki Disease at that time and there was no clinical indication that a hospital admission or referral to other hospital specialist was required. We did not uphold Miss C's complaint.