Mylee Weetman Inquest: Doctors Give Evidence
The mother of Mylee Weetman, the four-year-old who died after an operation at the Leeds Children's Heart Unit, is hoping doctors can shed light on why she died.
The third day of the inquest is hearing from doctors at the LGI Children's Cardiac Unit, who cared for Mylee in the days after her operation and during her 'rapid deterioration'.
The evidence they're giving relates to the possible causes of the 'horrific brain injury', which then lead to doctors advising Mylee's parents to turn off her breathing machine, which was keeping her alive. The court has heard how Mylee's Mum, Siobhan Casey, was told the 'Mylee she knew and loved was no longer there.'
The Coroner at Wakefield Coroner's Court has narrowed down three possible causes for Mylee's decline.
- During surgery Mylee's blood pressure dropped. The anaesthetist whose job it is to monitor this, Dr Mellor, told the court that her blood pressure fell for 10 minutes. He said he was not 'unduly concerned as that was within normal parameters of a person of that age'.
- A second cause being discussed by the court is that 'air' entered Mylee's system, while the operation was taking place. This is what doctors call an 'emblem' and can have significant impact. Mylee's surgeon Stefan Condui was questioned about this earlier this week. Sometimes during heart surgery, a doctor will use a clamp on the heart to stop this happening. In Mylee's case the surgeon didn't use that clamp.
- Mylee suffered an anaphylaxis shock during surgery and a rash appeared on her body. Doctors say she was treated for this immediately with an anti-histamine. But the likelihood of this causing an impact is being discussed by the court.
The doctors can't give a definite reason at this stage as to why Mylee developed a brain injury leading to her death.
Doctor Livingstone, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at LGI since 1991, was asked by the solicitor working on behalf of the NHS: 'Is it ever just an unknown cause that we could never get to the bottom of?'
Doctor Livingstone replied 'Yes, from time to time we encounter complications we don't understand.'
There's no set reason why Mylee Weetman died six days after what doctors have referred to in court as 'a fairly standard operation'.
Mylee's inquest is set to finish today so that doctors and solicitors can gather more information requested by the coroner. It will then resume on Monday 27 July.
It is the first of two inquests into child deaths at the unit in 2013 and one of nine claims against the LGI for harm sustained by child patients.