Little girl dies after going into hospital with cough

9:39am Friday 15th August 2008

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A grieving mother wept as she told an inquest how her young daughter died after hospital surgery went terribly wrong.

Indya Trevelyan, who was just 20 months old, was suffering from croup, a common childhood respiratory viral infection, when she was admitted to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.

When her condition deteriorated doctors carried out an emergency tracheotomy.

But her breathing tube became dislodged and she suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest which led to her death.

Indya was transferred to a children’s intensive care unit in London where she died on April 18.

The inquest at Brighton Coroner’s Court was told an investigation by the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust concluded the child’s death was “preventable”.

Her mother Sian Trevelyan, who is pregnant, struggled not to break down as she gave evidence at the hearing. Clutching a photograph of her only child, Mrs Trevelyan, who lives with her husband Nigel, at Pease Pottage, near Crawley, told the inquest that days before her daughter’s death Indya had been her normal self – happy, smiling and dancing around.

She recalled how on the way to the operating theatre she had reassured her crying daughter. “She was really distressed. She was very upset.

“She was clinging around my neck and tears were streaming down her face. I promised her she would be all right.” The inquest heard that Mrs Trevelyan and her husband took Indya to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, on April 14 because they were worried about a cough she had developed a day earlier which led to her becoming breathless.

When her condition improved she was sent home a few hours later. The following day when her condition worsened, her mother took her to their GP, who advised her to go to the Royal Alex.

At the hospital, croup was diagnosed and Indya was kept in overnight. The next day Indya seemed to be well again and she was told her daughter would probably go home the following day.

But during the afternoon her condition went downhill. The following day she was worse and was struggling to get her breath.

Doctors decided to carry out an exploratory procedure under general anaesthetic. It was while she was in the operating theatre doctors decided to carry out an emergency tracheotomy. The inquest heard the procedure appeared to be successful, but while still in theatre Indya suffered an arrest and had to be resuscitated.

Mrs Trevelyan said: “We were told not to worry as it had been a success and we would be taken to see her shortly. Then this woman said to us the team are with her now and she is being resuscitated.

“That was the first time we realised things were wrong.

“We were wondering what on earth was going on. We were told the tube had become displaced.

“Her lungs collapsed and her heart nearly stopped.”

The inquest heard five consultants as well as other medics were involved in resuscitating her.

Indya was transferred to the intensive care unit at the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London.

Mrs Trevelyan said: “It became apparent she was brain-damaged and they had to resuscitate her three times.” Dr John Trounce, consultant paediatrician at the Royal Alex, said the child’s airways needed to be examined under anaesthetic because she was at risk of dying if there had been an obstruction. During surgery it was decided to carry out a tracheotomy.

He said it was unusual to undergo surgery for croup but her condition had become serious.

He said after the procedure there were problems with the breathing tube while she was still in theatre.

He said: “Indya’s tracheotomy tube had dislodged itself and there was some difficulty re-siting that and her breathing was compromised and as a consequence her heart rate slowed.”

Dr Kim Daborn, consultant paediatric anaesthetist at the Royal Alex, said: “It is extremely difficult in a child to replace a tracheotomy tube and in about 25 per cent of cases displacement leads to a catastrophic outcome.” The inquest was adjourned until a date to be fixed.

Please leave your tributes to Indya below.