Action needed after baby feed deaths, says coroner

A senior coroner has warned that more babies could die unless "action is taken", following the deaths of three infants who had received contaminated feed while being cared for in hospital.

Three-month-old Aviva Otte died in January 2014 after being given contaminated feed at St Thomas' Hospital, south London.

In June that year, one-month-old Oscar Barker and nine-day-old Yousef Al-Kharboush died after a similar, but separate contamination incident.

Following an inquest, Dr Julian Morris said he was concerned that St Thomas' Hospital was not legally required to report the first incident and called for a change in the law.

All three babies, who had been born prematurely, were fed through an intravenous drip, a method known as "total parenteral nutrition" (TPN).

Aviva, the first child to die, was given TPN that was made by NHS pharmacists at St Thomas' Hospital.

Oscar, who died at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge and Yousef, who also died at St Thomas' Hospital, received feed manufactured by private company ITH Pharma which supplied to several trusts.

The bacteria Bacillus cereus was found to be the contaminant in the cause of all three deaths.

In his conclusion, the senior coroner for Inner South London said he was worried that a lack of regulation around medicines such as Aviva's feed might lead to future deaths.

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Source: BBC News, 19 November 2024