BOY CHOKED BY FOOD

Evening Star, Issue 19782, 4 February 1928, Page 2

BOY CHOKED BY FOOD

SEQUEL TO STITCHING OPERATION CORONER'S COMMENTS [Per United Press Association.] CHIUSTCHUHCH, February 3. On Monday, December 12, Bruce Garner Kellar, aged six, was driving/with his mother in a motor car, when they met with an accident, and the boy’s face was cut by the broken windscreen. It was not severe, but it was desirable that it be stitched, and he was taken to Christchurch Hospital. The boy was given an anaesthetic, the wound stitched, and he was returned to the ward. There ho commenced to vomit, and undigested food from his stomach blocked the passages to both lungs, causing death. An inquest was conducted to-day by Mr Young, S.M. Dr Cotton examined the boy on admission, and administered the amesthetic, and Dr Church stitched the wound. The evidence of the mother of the boy was that the lad had had a meal of mince and peas at 4 o’clock, and an hour later a piece of sponge cake. This she told to Dr Cotton. Dr Cotton’s evidence was that the parents did not seem sure’ of the exact hour at which the child had taken food, but thought about 5 or- 5.30. The operation was delayed till 880, because he considered three , hours to be sufficient for digestion to be complete. Dr Crooke, who conducted the postmortem, said he found the stomach full of undigested food. The shock of the accident had undoubtedly retarded digestion, and the stomach should have been washed out before an anaesthetic was given. When the blockage occurred_ the only expedient would have been immediate tracheotomy, and he did not think this would have saved the boy’s life. The Coroner returned a verdict that the cause of death was asphyxia, due to the inspiration of vomited food under anaesthetic. “ Under the circumstances set out in the evidence,” said the Coroner, “I think that the contents of deceased’s stomach should have been removed before the anesthetic was administered. In my opinion the nurse immediately in charge of. the deceased did not exercise the skill and promptitude which the circumstances demanded. She should immediately have called the house surgeon, who was only a few yards away.”