Doctor who missed the deadly infection that killed a toddler says sorry to his parents
Just so tragic
The death of a toddler from sepsis could have been prevented, an inquest has found.
Little Troy Almond was brought to Shoalhaven District Hospital emergency department by his mother, Kim Macklin on March 21, 2016.
The seventeen-month-old was lethargic, vomiting and had a temperature. He was given paracetamol but his temperature remained high.
It was noted that his heart rate was high, his limbs were shaking and he was warm to the touch.
Nurses prepared Troy for blood samples to be taken, but they never were. Later that afternoon, his temperature had gone down somewhat, however his heart rate was still elevated.
Emergency department doctor Babak Tajvidi had a consultation with the family, after which Troy was discharged, with Dr Tajvidi suggesting he may be suffering from a viral infection.
However, Troy's condition deteriorated overnight and he woke the following day with diarrhoea and had begun vomiting again.
He became unresponsive later that morning and his parents called emergency services, then performed CPR until paramedics arrived to take him to hospital.
Sadly, Troy was pronounced dead at 2.50pm. And autopsy revealed he had died of sepsis.
Dr Tajvidi addressed Troy's parents in court saying he was 'sorry' and had 'made a mistake', conceding the toddler 'most likely' already had sepsis when he was first admitted to hospital.
The inquest is set to continue next week.
Nicola Conville has worked as a journalist and editor for more than 20 years across a wide range of print and online publications. Her areas of expertise are parenting, health and travel. She has two children; Lucy, age eight, and Nathan, age five.
