What are the First Signs of Sepsis?
Sepsis occurs when the body creates an overwhelming response to an infection. It can be contracted in various ways (not necessarily through medical negligence) and is, thankfully, uncommon.
Medical Negligence Associate Solicitor
The NHS conducted a full review of the child care at Darent Valley Hospital, after the death of six-year-old boy, Leon Singh, in May 2019.
The inquest into the death of the six-year-old boy, who died of septic shock in May 2019 found that more could have been done to prevent his death, in which was announced in October 2020. In a review, it was found that there were ‘missed opportunities’ in diagnosing the young boy’s illness.
Leon Singh was admitted to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, Kent, on May 1st, 2019, with a number of ongoing symptoms including a high temperature, and a rash on his body.
He was later transferred to Evelina London Children’s Hospital on May 3rd, where he sadly passed away the following day on May 4th.
Following the four-day inquest which took place in Maidstone, and concluded in October 2020, the Coroner ruled that there were ‘missed opportunities’ to diagnose the septic shock and for effective clinical management and treatment. The Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust declared that it’s care dropped below the standard that it should have, and that a sepsis chart was not carried out. If this had been done , this would have highlighted Leon’s potential worsening symptoms.
Leon had contracted Kawasaki disease twice, having had the disease six month prior to his reappearance at the hospital. His symptoms lasted for ten days, where a rash and fever were present. The re-occurrences prompted Leon’s parents to seek medical attention, but they claimed that their concerns “weren’t listened to” by medical professionals. Even after Leon had been transferred to the Evelina Hospital, he sadly did not respond well to treatment – and unfortunately, the parents learnt that their son’s brain had swollen and crushed itself.
Kent Online. (2020). Hospital to review child care after boy's death. Retrieved from https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/hospital-to-review-child-care-after-boys-death-234875/
Daily Mail. (2020). NHS bosses carry out review of child care at hospital after boy, six, died of septic shock. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8803931/NHS-bosses-carry-review-child-care-hospital-boy-six-died-septic-shock.html
Evelina London Children's Hospital. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://www.evelinalondon.nhs.uk/Home.aspx
NHS England. (n.d.). National Early Warning Score (NEWS). Retrieved from https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/sepsis/nationalearlywarningscore/
Mirror. (2020). Boy, 6, dies of septic shock in hospital after 'routine' operation. Retrieved from https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/boy-6-dies-septic-shock-22794959
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust. (2020). Paediatric Guidelines - Toxic Shock Syndrome. Retrieved from https://www.bsuh.nhs.uk/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/06/Paediatric-Guidelines-toxic-shock-syndrome.pdf
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