Latest news with #pneumothorax
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Baby boy died just hours after being born when ‘doctors failed to carry out basic life-saving tests'
A BABY died just hours after birth when hospital staff missed signs of a collapsed lung, a coroner has ruled. Little Benjamin Finch Arnold was born prematurely at St James' Hospital in Leeds in 2022. 1 Soon after birth, he developed serious breathing problems, which is not uncommon among babies born early. But crucial, basic life-saving tests were not carried out in time, an inquest into his death has found. It heard Benjamin could have survived if doctors had acted sooner to diagnose and treat a pneumothorax - a condition where air leaks into the chest and causes the lung to collapse. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), which runs the hospital, said it was "extremely sorry that Benjamin died whilst in our care". Last month, coroner Oliver Longstaff ruled Benjamin's death was avoidable. Around three hours after he was born, Benjamin underwent a procedure to help his underdeveloped lungs breathe, during which his lungs collapsed. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead less than eight hours after he was born. Mr Longstaff said staff "missed opportunity to consider the possibility" of a pneumothorax as the cause of his breathing problems early on in the process. This is because procedure policy "did not mandate a chest X-ray", which he said would probably have revealed it, the BBC reports. A further opportunity was also missed when the medic performing the procedure did not discuss it with the neonatal consultant involved, the coroner added. One sip of my porn star martini and I was in utter agony – my lung collapsed and I was gasping for breath The consultant would likely have asked if a pneumothorax had been ruled out as a cause of Benjamin's condition, the conclusion read. Mr Longstaff said: "No thought was given to the pneumothorax being a potential, and potentially reversible, cause of the collapse. "If they had been treated he would have, on the balance of probabilities, survived." Mr Longstaff has since issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report, aiming to prevent similar tragedies. He sent this report to the Health Secretary, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and other relevant bodies. He said maternity services in Leeds are dangerously split between two hospitals, with St James' lacking proper medical and paediatric support. Plans to bring all services under one roof have been delayed until at least 2030. There was also confusion over how the St James' unit is classified, with staff describing it as operating at a higher level than officially recognised. What is a collapsed lung? A pneumothorax - also known as a collapsed lung - happens when air has leaked out from the lung in to the chest cavity and chest wall. This causes the lung to collapse down and peel away from the inside of the chest. When someone who doesn't have any known lung problems develops a pneumothorax, this is called a primary pneumothorax. Usually the air has leaked from a blister on the surface of the lung which has been present from birth. A lung can also collapse as a result of conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema, as well as injuries to the chest wall that cause damage to lung surfaces. The condition most commonly occurs in smokers. The most common symptoms are sudden shortness of breath and chest pain, which may be sharp and worse with coughing and breathing. You may also experience a dry cough. If air has leaked out into the muscles and skin in your chest wall, you may notice a swelling and a 'bubble wrap' sensation if you press on your chest. Occasionally, if the leak of air has been very large, you may feel faint or light headed. A pneumothorax is usually diagnosed through an X-ray. Source: NHS The coroner warned that NHS guidelines for a breathing procedure called LISA are inconsistent, and questioned whether national rules for treating cardiac arrest in newborns are good enough. Finally, he said changes made by the Trust after Benjamin's death need to be properly explained. All organisations involved must respond by July 28. 'This cannot wait any longer' Earlier this year, Benjamin's parents described the care their son received as 'unacceptable'. "We are devastated by Benjamin's death," they said in a statement sent to the BBC. "The standard of care he received was unacceptable. "We urge Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust to take the prevention of future deaths report seriously. "We ask the government to urgently provide the funding for the new hospital building in Leeds. "This would allow all maternity and neonatal care to be provided from a single site and improve patient safety. "This cannot wait any longer." Dr Magnus Harrison, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 'I am extremely sorry that Benjamin died whilst in our care and I cannot imagine how difficult the last three years have been for his family. 'We have already made important changes, including ensuring a consultant neonatologist is available on each hospital site and involved earlier in complex procedures. 'While these changes do not undo the loss of Benjamin, we will continue to review and improve our services to provide the best possible care for our babies and their families. 'We appreciate the coroner's thorough investigation and are preparing a response to the recommendations to provide the assurances he is seeking.'
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Premature baby's care at Leeds hospital 'unacceptable'
The parents of a premature baby boy who died just hours after his birth have described the care he received in hospital as "unacceptable".Benjamin Arnold developed breathing difficulties shortly after being born just over five weeks before his due date at St James's Hospital in Leeds in "missed" opportunities to diagnose a pneumothorax, also known as a collapsed lung, and had this been treated he would likely have survived, area coroner Oliver Longstaff said at an Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), which runs the hospital, said it was "extremely sorry that Benjamin died whilst in our care". 'Missed opportunity' Mr Longstaff's narrative conclusion, following the inquest into Benjamin's death at Wakefield Coroner's Court last week, said the baby had "collapsed" during a procedure to help his underdeveloped lungs to breathe three hours after his to resuscitate him were ultimately unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead less than eight hours after he was Longstaff said there was a "missed opportunity to consider the possibility" of a pneumothorax early on in the process, because procedure policy "did not mandate a chest X-ray", which he said would probably have revealed it.A further opportunity was also missed when the medic performing the procedure did not discuss it with the neonatal consultant involved, the coroner added. The consultant would likely have asked if a pneumothorax had been ruled out as a cause of Benjamin's condition, the conclusion Longstaff said: "No thought was given to the pneumothorax being a potential, and potentially reversible, cause of the collapse."If they had been treated he would have, on the balance of probabilities, survived."The coroner said he was preparing a prevention of future deaths report, which would examine what lessons could be learned from the case and that would be published in due course. 'Important changes' In a statement to the BBC, Benjamin's parents said: "We are devastated by Benjamin's death."The standard of care he received was unacceptable."We urge Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust to take the prevention of future deaths report seriously."We ask the government to urgently provide the funding for the new hospital building in Leeds. "This would allow all maternity and neonatal care to be provided from a single site and improve patient safety. This cannot wait any longer."In January, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced the planned redevelopment of Leeds General Infirmary would not begin before 2030. At the time Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said he was "extremely disappointed" by the the inquest, Dr Magnus Harrison, LTHT's medical director, said: "I am extremely sorry Benjamin died whilst in our care and I cannot imagine how difficult the last three years have been for his family."I want to reassure everyone that we have already made important changes to improve our neonatal service."These include changes to our policies to have a consultant neonatologist available on each hospital site and involving them earlier in the delivery of complex clinical procedures."While we recognise these do not undo the loss of Benjamin, we will continue to review our service and make improvements so we can deliver the best possible care for our babies and their families." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Reuters
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Honda's MotoGP rider Marini suffers severe injuries in crash while testing
May 28 (Reuters) - Honda rider Luca Marini suffered a nasty crash while testing in Japan, sustaining injuries to his hip, knee, chest and shoulder as well as a collapsed lung, the Japanese team said on Wednesday. Marini had travelled to the Suzuka Circuit after the British Grand Prix that was held over the weekend and the Italian was testing Honda's bike for the Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race when he crashed heavily on the second day of testing. "Suffering from a dislocated left hip, damage to the ligaments in his left knee, fractures in the sternum and left collarbone and a right-sided pneumothorax, Marini was transferred to local hospital and stabilised," Honda said. "Marini will remain under observation in Japan until he is deemed fit to travel." Honda did not give a timeline for Marini's return. The 27-year-old is 13th in the MotoGP riders' standings after seven rounds. The next MotoGP round is the Aragon Grand Prix in Spain on June 7-8.
