A six-month-old baby boy who died in hospital after being misdiagnosed with gastroenteritis, died because doctors failed to detect what was wrong with him and act on it in a timely manner, a NSW coroner has found.
“Kyran Day died after those treating him failed to detect the ileocaecal intussusception with malrotation of the bowel and respond to his condition in a sufficiently timely manner,” reads the Coroner’s report.
On October 18, 2013, a chubby six-month-old boy rolled around his brightly coloured playmat, giggling. That day he was the picture of good health, his big blue eyes wide and his smiling face tilted toward the camera as it captured his gurgles and laughs.
Shockingly, just 24 hours later Kyran would be in hospital, fighting for his life. And the video that his parents took that day would document one of their last happy moments together.
On October 19 2013, Kyran was admitted to Shoalhaven Hospital, where he was diagnosed with gastroenteritis.
However, Kyran’s parents Naomi and Grant Day were unconvinced. With their tiny baby seemingly unresponsive and unable to hold his head up, they feared his condition was more serious than the doctors suggested.
Yet their pleas for further testing were ignored – and tragically three days later Kyran died at Sydney Children’s Hospital from hypoxicischaemic encephalopathy, a lack of oxygen to the brain following a bowel obstruction.
“We started this journey three years ago and we were going to fight until the end to make sure this didn’t happen to any other parents because it’s just absolutely tragic, to say the least,” Mr Day said, fighting back the tears outside Glebe Coroner’s Court.
“This has never been a witch-hunt but we just wanted to make sure that no other family had to go through this,” he said.
NSW Deputy State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan has listed the cause of death as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I offer the family my heartfelt condolences,” Ms O’Sullivan said during the inquest.
Back in June, the grieving parents spoke to Seven News about fighting for justice for their little boy.
“He died from the mismanagement and the mistreatment, the treatment that didn’t happen,” Mr Day said.
“The deterioration from the night before was horrific. I told my Mum… he’s severely dehydrated, he’s pale, they’re not doing anything.”
“He couldn’t hold his own head up, his body was completely floppy. I will never be able to hold my son again,” added Mrs Day.
The parents have called for a new law to be instated named ‘Kyran’s Rule’, which would see parents’ concerns taken seriously by medical professionals when treating children.
“I just don’t want this to happen to any other child,” Naomi added.
“The regulation of doctors is inadequate, the same mistakes over and over keep happening”, Lorraine Long of Medical Error Action Group told Seven News.
“There needs to be complete change”.
The Days are also setting up a foundation to help any parents who’ve lost a child due to medical negligence.
To support their family’s push to implement ‘Kyran’s Rule’ click here.
