Baby girl on life support after error during heart procedure at Hong Kong hospital
Defibrillation equipment was not switched to correct mode while patient was being treated for multiple heart issues
A 50-day-old baby girl is critically ill after undergoing a procedure at Hong Kong’s United Christian Hospital during which the defibrillation equipment was not switched to the proper mode.
An investigation panel will be formed to look into the case, although a cardiologist said the error might not be the main reason for the patient’s condition.
The girl had been brought to the emergency unit of the hospital in Kwun Tong because of poor feeding and shortness of breath at 9.45am on Friday and was admitted to the general paediatric ward, a hospital spokesman said.
An echocardiogram showed she had several heart issues, including an enlarged heart and a dilated left ventricle. She was transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit, where she was then found to have congestive heart failure and was put on ventilator support.
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Hours later, the patient developed supraventricular tachycardia – an abnormally fast heart rhythm arising from improper electrical activity in the upper part of the heart – and her heart rate reached 280 beats per minute. Drug treatment was given intravenously, but the situation persisted.