A 13-YEAR-OLD girl in “unbearable” pain asked her mum if she would die hours before she passed away from sepsis amid alleged delays in treatment.
Chloe Longster was complaining of cold and flu symptoms before being taken to A&E on November 28, 2022.
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She was admitted to the paediatric ward at Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire that evening and later transferred to intensive care, where she died the following morning.
At an inquest which began on Monday, Chloe’s mother Louise Longster told assistant coroner Sophie Lomas that pain relief for her daughter was “delayed”.
Her parents were “devastated” by her death, which they believe was “completely preventable”.
Mrs Longster, 40, told Northampton Coroner’s Court that her daughter was “wincing and squirming” from pain while in hospital.
“Chloe asked if she could be put to sleep because it was unbearable,” she added.
“I remember thinking how pale and clammy she looked.
“It’s harrowing to see your own child in so much pain.
“She was clock-watching constantly – she knew when her paracetamol and ibuprofen were due and it was always delayed.
“It was like we were chasing her pain rather than getting on top of it.
“Chloe asked me if she was going to die. It’s haunting that the 13-year-old was the one that was right. It’s devastating.”
Mrs Longster said she heard Chloe’s chest “crackling” as she lay in the hospital bed, which she flagged to a nurse.
She said she felt that she was being a “nuisance” and “dramatic” because she was trying to get more help for Chloe.
It was not until Chloe was put in a side room and diagnosed with influenza A that it was “taken seriously or acknowledged how much pain she was in”, Mrs Longster told the court.
Chloe’s blood pressure was recorded for the first time on the system nearly eight hours after she arrived at the hospital.
A&E consultant Dr Marwan Gamaleldin saw Chloe three or four times before she was transferred to the paediatric ward and believed she had a chest infection at the time.
He said: “It was already flagged that pain was the main thing. She did not come across as struggling to breathe.
“The pain was described as severe so the next logical step was to jump to morphine.
“She had four doses of pain relief with three different medications.
“I appreciate that maybe it was not enough, but it was four doses of pain relief.”
What are the symptoms of sepsis?
SEPSIS is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that happens when your immune system overreacts and starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs.
Symptoms of sepsis in an adult include:
- Acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
- Difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast
Symptoms in a child include:
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
- Difficulty breathing (you may notice grunting noises or their stomach sucking under their ribcage), breathlessness or breathing very fast
- A weak, high-pitched cry that’s not like their normal cry
- Not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities
- Being sleepier than normal or having difficulty waking
They may not have all these symptoms.
If you think you or someone else has symptoms of sepsis, call 999 or go to A&E.
Source: NHS
Dr Gamaleldin said that in the two-hour period that he observed Chloe, he “did not think” that she had sepsis.
He told the court that there are four markers to diagnose the condition.
Two of these are high white blood cell count and fever, which the patient needs to have one of to be diagnosed with sepsis, and two other criteria which are heart rate and respiratory rate.
He said that Chloe had neither of the mandatory signs – high white blood cell count or a fever.
Dr Gamaleldin said: “There are other things I should have started if I was thinking of sepsis, rather than antibiotics.
“I did not think Chloe had sepsis at this point.”
Chloe brought so much joy, life, happiness and kindness to all those that she came into contact with
Dan Cleary
He said that Chloe’s chest X-ray showed “consolidation” on her lower left lung, where there is solid material rather than air, which suggested an infection.
Mrs Longster said the scan looked “terrifying” and Chloe’s lungs were not symmetrical.
Nurse Tricia Martinez triaged Chloe when she arrived at the hospital and had only recently joined the paediatric ward.
She told the court that Chloe looked in “agony” when she arrived in A&E so she “escalated” the issue and asked for the X-ray, but did not tick one of the boxes on a sepsis screening document.
She said: “The fault on my part was that I was not able to complete the sepsis form or go back to it after escalating.
“During the time that I saw her, something within said that there is something wrong with this child.
“We can only suggest or say she has possibly this or that, but the diagnosis will be given by the doctor.”
Chloe, a year nine pupil at Robert Smyth Academy with no underlying health conditions, died 18 and a half hours after arriving at the hospital.
She was prescribed by principal Dan Cleary as “a vibrant, talented and compassionate individual”.
“She brought so much joy, life, happiness and kindness to all those that she came into contact with,” he added.
The inquest continues.
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