A toddler in the UK has died from sepsis after being sent home from hospital with ibuprofen.
When your child is still tiny it can be incredibly unsettling when they are unwell and you can’t put your finger on exactly what is wrong with them.
It’s difficult for children to explain their symptoms but when 15-month-old Evie Crandle was vomiting, had blue lips and a temperature of nearly 40C, her parents knew she was seriously unwell and made the decision to take her to hospital.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Evie’s parents Samantha McNeice and Phil Crandle, from Warrington, had to wait 15 hours for their little girl to be put onto IV fluids, which ultimately proved too little too late.
Evie died two days later and a new inquest has concluded that she was ‘let down in the worst possible way’.
Samantha and Phil suspected that their daughter had sepsis, a potentially life-threatening condition which is triggered by an infection and causes the body’s immune system to stop functioning properly.
Symptoms can include: feeling dizzy, faint or confused, vomiting, diarrhoea and cold, clammy, pale or mottled skin.
What is sepsis? Everything you need to know
The tragic events unfolded back in April 2018 and the inquest into Evie’s death is still underway.
Evie’s mother Samantha explained: ‘Our lives were built around Evie. She was the centre of our universe. We have lost our daughter and have to face the fact we knew what was wrong with her.
‘We took her to hospital straight away and asked over and over about sepsis. I remember saying “are you sure this isn’t sepsis?”’
Despite her parent’s concerns Evie was discharged and sent home with ibuprofen and Calpol. They returned to the hospital two hours later but this was not enough to save their daughter.
Evie’s father heartbreakingly said: ‘If I could go back knowing what I know now I would’ve screamed the place down until she was treated, but I can’t and this fact fills my mind with guilt and regret. But what more could we do?’
Nurses treating Evie forgot to fill in sepsis forms at the hospital but stress that they did not believe she was showing symptoms of a seriously unwell child.
Speaking in court nurse Kay Archer said: ‘I regret not filling in that and since this incident I have had further training and I have learnt from my mistakes.
‘Evie did not present to me as a seriously unwell child, she presented as unwell but not seriously unwell.’
