The mother of a young haemophiliac who died following surgery tonight said nothing would replace her son but it was a small comfort that changes to medical procedures may help stop it happening again.
Jean and Stephen Nowlan said they had taken some consolation in the recommendations implemented at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin following Pierce's death on October 14th, 2004.
After the Dublin City Coroner passed a verdict of medical misadventure, Mrs Nowlan said: "It is some small comfort to us that based on this medical misadventure that recommendations have been made and implemented and it is any small hope that we can get out of this.
"We go home to an empty house but at least because these recommendations have been applied that other parents can go home to their kiddies and don't have to go through what we went through.
"Nothing will ever replace our son, our son is gone, it is very, very difficult to overcome that but it is some small consolation that some improvements have been made to the medical procedures but nothing can replace our loss."
Pierce was admitted to the Crumlin Hospital on October 11, 2004, to have a device fitted into a vein that would have allowed the regular injection of a blood-clotting agent.
During the procedure to insert a device into the sub-clavian vein in his chest an artery was punctured by the consultant anaesthetist Dr Martina Healy causing internal bleeding.
The inquest heard the operating surgeon Dr Alan Mortell knew one artery was hit but had no evidence the toddler was in difficulty during the procedure.
The inquest heard Pierce suffered brain damage as a result of substantial blood loss after the artery was punctured during the procedure. He died three days later.
The parents said the loss of little Pierce had left them devastated.
"Our whole reason for being is gone. It is a huge black hole, anybody who has a child would definitely understand, your whole life revolves around this absolutely special person, every breath you take is for him and to have that taken so suddenly so abruptly is devastating," Mrs Nowlan said.