DEATH UNDER ANAESTHETIC.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18408, 15 June 1925, Page 3

DEATH UNDER ANAESTHETIC.

CORONER'S ENQUIRY CONCLUDED.

"The sad death "of this little boy does not seem to hare been preventable in any way," said Mr Wyvern Wilson, Coroner, oh Saturday at the conclusion of the inquest on the body of Jbhn Robert Collister, the foiir»year old son of Mr and Mrs Collister, of Kaiapoi, who died suddenly in the Ghristohurch. Hospital on Thursday while under art anaesthetic. "As far as I know," said Dr. David A. Wills, house surgeon at the Christchurch Hospital* "there was no history of the boy's illness in the hands of the hospital authorities and I was not told anything about the state or his heart. He was examined on Wednesday afternoon. I detected nothing wrong with the boy's heart as a result of the ex-, animation. He appeared to be in good health, but was not a strong, robust child, which might be accounted for by the tonsils and adenoids." It was necessary, continued witness, to give the lad a general anaesthetic. He was to be operated upon on Thursday, and at about 2.30 p.m., ho was taken to the operating theatre and witness commenced to administer the anaesthetic shortly after half past two. The patient seemed,to take, it quit© well—the anaesthetic was a mixture of one part chloroform and .two of ether. . At twenty minutes to three the patient was just ' about ready to start the operation and was breathing well. Witness lifted the mask i to look at the child's face and saw it was a bad colour. He lifted the mask off and then the child suddenly stopped breathing. Restorative methods were immediately tried but without success. Witness attributed the child's death to heart failure. The operation was one of necessity, the tonsils being in a bad state. Dr. Louis A. Bennett, another house surgeon on i<he staff of the Christchurch Hospital, said that he was to have operated on the child for the removal of adenoids and septic tonsils. Witness had not made any examination of the child, but the house surgeon always made a general examination and called any unusual features to the notice of a specialist on the honorary staff. "I was ready to operate," the doctor continued, "when the patient oollapsed under the anaesthetic. All restorative measures wore tried." The anaesthetic administered was a proper one. The mother of the child, Mrs Beatrice E. Collister, said her son had been troubled with adenoids for some time and a doctor had advised that they be removed. The doctor, had.also said that the boy's heart was weak. The Coroner found that death WQ3 caused by heart failure, dite to anaesthesia, the anaesthetic having been properly administered. /■ ■■ —= i