Alleged wrong placement of IV drip: Infant loses right arm, probe ordered on Chennai Hospital

Chennai: In an alleged medical negligence incident at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), a one-and-a-half-year-old infant's family has accused doctors and nurses of amputating his right hand while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Taking note of the seriousness of the incident and the strong accusations against the doctors and the nurses, Health Minister Ma Subramanian assured the family that an enquiry would be conducted into the case, after which a panel was created and the report would be submitted in a few days.

The incident took place on June 25, when the family from Ramanathapuram admitted their child to the hospital due to bleeding from the head. It is to be noted that the child had undergone treatment at the hospital earlier on May 2022 for Ventriculoperitoneal shunting (surgery to treat excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cavities (ventricles) of the brain (hydrocephalus)).

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After running a few tests, the doctors at the hospital found that the child's Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt was not working due to which they kept him under observation for a few hours. Later, the doctors informed the family that the child had to undergo surgery, following which a surgery was conducted at 9 pm on the same day.

The child was shifted to the general ward soon after a three-hour-long procedure. A few hours later, the mother noticed his fingers turned black and immediately informed the nurse who paid no heed to the mother's concern.

The situation became worse when the infection started spreading slowly into his hands and part of the hand (till the wrist) turned blue. Following this, the child was shifted to the Institute of Child Health, and the doctors amputated the hand from the elbow.

It is suspected that the condition of the child's arm began deteriorating due to the wrong placement of the IV drip. However, it is uncertain to determine the cause yet until the release of the enquiry report.

"The drips were not put properly in the veins, which led to the swelling of the hand and it turned black. After two days, we asked the nurses but they said that it is common and won't lead to any complications. The doctor visited the patient at 10 pm and said that the hand has been infected," said kin of the child.

Demanding action against the hospital staff for alleged medical negligence, the family members of the child who lost his arm sought government intervention regarding the case. She said that what happened to her child no child should go through. "No doctors were on duty during the fourth day of the child's treatment. Even when we complained, the nurse showed indifference," she added.

In response to this, Health Minister Ma Subramanian informedDT Next, "The child was born with a lot of complications during birth being 32 weeks pregnant. We have ordered an enquiry to find out if the IV was administered in the wrong manner. The dean of the hospital, Dr Theranirajan has spoken to the parents to elaborate on the symptoms of the complication, and we have ordered to find out the reason for the same. It is most likely a case of medical negligence, and no nurse would intentionally harm any patient. In case of negligence, the hospital authorities are completely responsible for the same and will be held accountable."

"The child was brought with a swollen hand and it had turned black. The child was stable, but the right hand was not functional. We had to amputate the hand to ensure that the infection does not spread. We are not sure if this can happen due to drips being administered in the wrong manner," said Dr Rema Chandramohan, Director at the Institute of Child Health.

On the other hand, Terani Rajan, Principal of Government Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital, denied the allegations saying, “The baby was born at 32 weeks premature birth and weighed only 1.5 kg. This baby also has various problems like bleeding in the head, lack of brain development, hole in the heart, which are common in premature babies. To correct them, we provided various treatments, including placement of stents in the head and abdomen."

"It is in this condition that the child's hand had a problem. As the child could have been saved only by removing the arm, we allowed him to undergo surgery at the children's hospital. At the same time, we have set up an inquiry committee consisting of doctors from 3 departments, including general medicine, to find out if there was any negligence during the treatment. We can say whether a mistake has been made only after the investigation report," he informedPT.

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