Newborn dies from multiple organ failure after medics misdiagnose symptoms as cows' milk intolerance
CRAWLEY, WEST SUSSEX: A two-month-old baby girl has tragically died from multiple organ failure after doctors misdiagnosed her critical symptoms as intolerance to cow milk. Nailah Ally, from Crawley, West Sussex, was born in October 2019 and was subsequently diagnosed with a hole in her heart and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) - a severe condition that causes the intestines to swell.
The newborn was rushed to East Surrey Hospital on December 28, 2019, with a swollen stomach. Doctors treated Ally for suspected sepsis but did not perform a barium enema to determine whether her intestine had narrowed due to damage caused by NEC. They instead changed the formula she was feeding on and sent the family home on January 7, 2020, with a follow-up appointment three days later. The following day, Nailah went into septic shock and a subsequent x-ray revealed a suspected perforated bowel, according to Metro.
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How Nailah Ally died?
Ally’s health soon deteriorated and she ultimately died on January 13, 2020. A post-mortem examination revealed that she had died from multiple organ failure brought on by NEC and intestinal constriction. Following her death, Ally’s parents, Nailah’s parents Laila Tobota, 26, and her partner Emmanuel Ally hired lawyers to look into the treatment she received at East Surrey Hospital, which is managed by the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.
Their legal team highlighted that an NHS probe revealed a physician modified the formula Nailah was fed after suspecting she could be intolerant to cow’s milk. A root cause analysis investigation report by the Trust found there was a failure to perform barium enema, which in retrospect, may have found Nailah’s narrowed intestine which she suffered "due to her episode of necrotizing enterocolitis". A spokesman for law firm Irwin Mitchell said, according to DailyMail. "The failure to perform the test was down to poor documentation, poor face-to-face handovers between doctors and poor ownership of Nailah’s case by one named consultant, the report found."
An undisclosed out-of-court settlement
The Trust, according to the spokesperson, did not admit its liability but paid Nailah's parents an undisclosed out-of-court settlement to assist them in getting specialized care after her death. "The last few years and coming to terms with Nailah’s death has understandably been incredibly traumatic for Laila and Emmanuel," said Emily Mansfield, a medical negligence expert who represented the parents. "Nailah’s case not only vividly highlights the dangers of sepsis but the potential consequences of poor communication between doctors as well as between doctors and families."
Following the settlement, a spokesperson for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said, "We are very sorry for the experience Nailah’s family had at East Surrey Hospital and our deepest sympathies remain with them at this very difficult time. We take any death extremely seriously and as a trust, we have already investigated and put in place a thorough action plan to ensure we learn the lessons needed, and importantly, improve our care for future patients."
