Decision Report 201902071

Summary

C brought a complaint to us about the care and treatment given to their late child (A). A was admitted to the Neo-Natal Unit at Forth Valley Royal Hospital due to prematurity and respiratory (the branch of medicine that deals with conditions affecting the lungs) distress and was a few weeks later admitted to the Children’s Ward. A was later diagnosed with cardiac (heart and its blood vessels) conditions. A underwent open heart surgery at the Royal Hospital for Children but later died.

C complained that the care and treatment provided to A was unreasonable because there were missed opportunities to diagnose A’s cardiac condition and that, had it been diagnosed earlier, there would have been a positive outcome.

We took independent advice from a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist (a doctor who specialises in the female reproductive system, pregnancy and childbirth) and from a consultant in respiratory medicine. We found that overall the care and treatment was reasonable. In particular, there was no evidence that would suggest A’s heart condition had been missed in the neonatal period. We also found that, based on the available evidence, it was not possible to say conclusively that there had been an unreasonable delay in diagnosing A’s cardiac condition from a paediatric perspective. We did not uphold the complaint.