Gardaí have begun an investigation into the death last month of a nine-year-old girl three weeks after she had her appendix removed at Cavan General Hospital, it emerged yesterday, writes Eithne Donnellan in Cavan.
The investigation is headed by Garda Supt Joe Sullivan, who has confirmed that he will be sending a file to the DPP once the investigation is complete. News of the Garda inquiry emerged at the opening of the inquest into the death of the nine-year-old, Frances Sheridan from Cootehill.
She died on February 1st, three weeks after her operation and 36 hours after she had returned to the hospital's A&E unit complaining of stomach pains and had been sent home. Hospital staff said she probably only had a tummy bug.
A post-mortem was carried out by the State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, and her findings were read out at the inquest in Cavan courthouse yesterday by the coroner for Cavan, Mr Paul Kelly. Dr Cassidy found that the child had died from complications of recent surgery.
Her report said the child's bowel became obstructed by adhesions which grew around the site of the surgery wound. There was nothing unusual about such adhesions. They were, her report stated, part of the normal healing process.
She reported that when such an obstruction occurred, a patient would present with abdominal pain and vomiting.
As a result of the obstruction to her bowel, Frances Sheridan ended up inhaling her own vomit and died, Dr Cassidy concluded.
Mr Kelly told the inquest, which was adjourned until May after the medical cause of death was put on the public record, that losing a child was every parent's nightmare.
He said he would be making a copy of the post-mortem report available to the Sheridan family and the North Eastern Health Board, which runs the hospital and is itself inquiring into the circumstances surrounding the girl's death.
He warned that the report, other than parts he had read out, should remain confidential until dealt with at the resumed inquest.
Last night, the health board said it had asked its inquiry team to report as soon as was practicable. A solicitor for the board extended sympathy to the Sheridan family.
Gardaí to inquire into death; Death leaves unanswered questions: page 3