Toddler suffers facial injury, dies days later from anaesthesia complications

An 18-month-old boy died in Kerala following severe complications allegedly linked to a dose of anaesthesia that was administered to him before a minor procedure to treat a cut on his lip. The child's health reportedly deteriorated for five days before he eventually succumbed to the complications.

The toddler died at a private hospital in Kerala's Kannur district on Friday, July 10, according to news agency ANI. He was his parents' only child and was born nearly eight years after their wedding.

According to the report, the child sustained a lip injury on July 5 while playing at his home. He was subsequently rushed to the Baby Memorial Hospital in Payyannur, where doctors planned to suture the wound under anaesthesia.

The toddler's family claimed that his health worsened soon after the anaesthesia was administered, and that he never regained consciousness after that.

As his condition worsened, he was reportedly shifted to the hospital's Kannur unit for specialised treatment, where he died at around 9 pm on Friday.

The police have filed an FIR against the concerned anaesthetist on the basis of a complaint lodged by the child’s family, ANI reported.

The case has been registered under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which criminalises acts that endanger human life or personal safety. The section provides for a maximum punishment of three months.

The hospital management has rejected allegations of medical negligence, saying the boy suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest immediately after he was administered the anaesthesia.

It said that the child was put on emergency ventilator support before being transferred to the hospital's Kannur facility for intensive care.

In its statement, cited by ANI, Baby Memorial Hospital said that complications can take place following anaesthesia despite proper dosage and medical care.

It maintained that the anaesthesia was administered appropriately, and every possible measure was taken to save the boy's life.

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(With inputs from agencies)