Hospital apology over child death

Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin has apologised before the High Court over failures in the care of a haemophiliac child who died after undergoing a medical procedure in the hospital.

Pierce Nowlan died on October 14th, 2004 in the arms of his mother Jean, accompanied by his father Stephen, just three days after his second birthday. The death of the couple's first child occurred after an artery was punctured during attempts to insert a device into a vein.

In an apology read today before Mr Justice John Quirke and the parents, the hospital said it wished to extend its "sincere and heartfelt sympathies" to the Nowlan family over the death of Pierce.

"The hospital acknowledges that the care which was afforded to Pierce was, in many respects, not as it should have been and not as Pierce or his parents were entitled to expect," the apology stated.

"The hospital deeply regrets and apologises to Mr and Mrs Nowlan and their family for the failures in the care of Pierce," it added. "The hospital appreciates and greatly regrets the huge trauma and suffering of the Nowlan family resulting from the tragic death of their son."

The apology was read by Emily Egan SC, for the hospital, after the judge was informed by Martin Hayden SC, with Jim McCullough, for the family, of the settlement of the case. The parents will also receive an undisclosed sum in damages.

Mr Nowlan, a credit manager, and Mrs Nowlan, a recruitment consultant, of Carrigmore Green, Citywest, Saggart, Co Dublin, had brought the proceedings against the HSE and the hospital.

In a statement read outside court today, the parents said their child went into the hospital for a "standard" procedure and died there.

"We had one question for the medical staff involved in his care which was - how did this happen?" they asked. "It has taken seven years, a High Court action and the Coroner's Act to be amended to finally get the answer, an admission of liability and an apology.

"As grieving parents, we should not have had to meet a wall of silence and a culture of denial from the hospital. We put our trust in the hospital and they failed us and our son Pierce."

They said they  intend to make a complaint to the Medical Council about a particular surgeon.

"Nothing will ever bring our son back and we will miss him every day for the rest of our lives. But, if the hospital has learned that it needs to improve its procedures and how it provides information to grieving families, at least something positive will come out of this terrible tragedy."

Pierce had haemophilia which was diagnosed when he was a week old and he required regular treatment as a result. He was admitted to the hospital on October 10th, 2004 for insertion of an implantafix device but, during that procedure, an artery was punctured. He suffered cardiac arrest on October 11th and severe brain damage and was declared dead on October 14th.

In their claim, the parents alleged the hospital owed a duty of care to properly inform them of the risks associated in inserting an implantafix device in an infant with haemophilia and was also required to obtain an informed consent from the parents to conducting such an operation.

The failure to properly insert the device without puncturing an artery led to the child suffering severe injury and loss of life, they claimed.