Newborn’s fatal heart defect mistaken for lung disease

A newborn baby who died of low oxygen levels and a heart defect was treated by a pediatrician who thinks that the girl may have respiratory problems.

Thea Flaskett died four hours after he was born on September 11, 2023 at the Redcliffe Hospital in the north of Brisbane.

Thea’s parents Meg and James Flaskett say that the family is hopeful that the family will receive some answers after two years of waiting for the investigation.

Stephanie Gallagher, Assistant Deputy State of Queensland, heard evidence of specialist doctors who personally treating Thea or remotely consulted.

Didier Nggandu Tshamala, Thea was born and started to make CPR after 12:25 o’clock said he came to the hospital.

Geoffrey asked Dr Tshamala, who helped Diehm, what he had evaluated Thea’s situation.

“At this point, it was more respiratory or an infectious disease.” He said.

“They said he was born in good condition. He was with his mother for the first five minutes.”

Dr Tshamala acknowledged that Tea began to show the need for intense resuscitation shortly after arriving.

During the opening of the investigation on Monday, Gallagher heard an autopsy that Thea had previously revealed that the transposition of large arteries was unconditional.

In addition to the transposition affecting blood from the heart, they had other situations that could contribute to Thea’s death.

Mr. Diehm asked Dr Tshamala if he had come to Tea when he thought he could have a transposition heart defect.

Dr Tshamala said that the transposition is on a large condition list that can match Thea’s symptoms and think that “in general”.

In response to Sarah Lane, the lawyer of the Flaskett family, Dr Tshamala said that although his birth was encouraged because of concerns about low heart rate, Thea’s case did not think he was highly risky.

Gallagher heard that the newborn purchase service came to Redcliffe Hospital with expert equipment, including an automatic ventilator.

Dr Tshamala said Thea could not move to a larger hospital in Brisbane in an ambulance because he had a heart stop.

Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Senior Personnel Neonatologist Pieter Koorts, the service to participate in the Redcliffe Hospital, he said.

“Considering the time of the night, a quick recycling,” he said.

Dr Koorts said that if the Birth of Thea reached all the current information about the birth of the Birth, the transposition would be high in the list of possible diagnoses.

Gallagher had witnessed before, Thea’s transposition was not detected on prenatal ultrasounds, but if it were, he would be sent to a large Brisbane hospital for his birth.

For the Redcliffe Hospital, Barrister, April Freeman asked Dr Koorts whether or not to survive Thea if he was born in a hospital that could place a catheter in his heart as a pioneer of the surgery.

“Even in a third center with a cardiologist, the result is not sure.” He said.

The investigation needs to work at Brisbane four more days.