GRAPHIC WARNING: Some of the images included in this article are graphic and may be disturbing to some.
An Edmonton mother is accusing the Stollery Children’s Hospital of negligence and is concerned her three-year-old faces long-term health impacts after complications with an IV line.
Jalena Gunther’s daughter Emmy had surgery Jan. 16 to repair a hole in her heart and was expected to go home early the following week.
“On Friday, during the day, she was totally happy, relaxed, calm. Her pain was under control,” Gunther said of her daughter Emmy, who has Down’s syndrome and is non-verbal.
Gunther said at first she dismissed it as fatigue and pain. She alerted the nurses who agreed with her.
She said she left a short time later to go home, but her mother stayed at the hospital with Emmy, who continued to fuss all evening.
Feeling something wasn’t right, the grandmother asked for a doctor to check in on Emmy. Gunther said no one showed up and Emmy was given her next dose of morphine.
“Around the same time, her IV pump started to beep,” signalling a problem, Gunther recalled.
The lights were off in Emmy’s room to try and help her fall asleep so a nurse checked the pump with a flashlight.
No one checked her hand, Gunther said.
“No one seemed concerned that she was in pain, other than my mom. No one checked her out.”
When the day nurse came in Saturday morning, she checked Emmy’s hand and immediately removed the IV, Gunther said.
A doctor and plastic surgeon were called and the three-year-old was immediately taken into surgery.
Gunther said the dead tissue had to be removed from Emmy’s hand and she’ll need a skin graft.
“It’s open to the bone at this point. It’s very likely that she’ll have reduced sensation, very likely that she may not be able to make a fist or hold stuff in her hand. It will all depend on how she heals.”
Alberta Health Services issued a statement to Global News on Sunday reading, in part:
“AHS has started a quality review of the care. We are very sorry about the complication that this little girl has experienced. Our standards of care should not result in this type of complication for any of our patients.”
“AHS takes every patient or family complaint regarding care extremely seriously, and we are thoroughly reviewing the circumstances of this case.
“This includes closely reviewing the care provided to Emmy, and working closely with the family to answer any questions or concerns they may have.”
On Monday afternoon, an AHS spokesperson said the organization’s sympathies and thoughts remain with the family and little girl.
“We are doing all we can to make sure she receives the care she needs. We continue to work closely with this family, and have spoken with them several times to answer any questions or concerns they may have. We will continue to be available to the family at any time.
“We have begun a Quality Assurance Review into this case. A Quality Assurance Review (QAR) aims to determine what happened, how it happened, and what can be done to improve care for future patients. If changes are recommended following this review, those changes will be made.”
Gunther said her biggest worry is that Emmy could lose the ability to communicate.
“She’s fun and spunky. She’s outgoing. She mainly communicates through sign language,” Gunther said. “My biggest worry is that her only speech is sign language. If she loses use of that hand, she loses half of her ability to communicate.”
“Honestly I was numb the first day because I don’t know how this could happen. It’s 100 per cent avoidable and now my child, who was doing well, and almost ready to go home, has had two surgeries and potentially many more.”
Gunther said she was told by other nurses on the unit that proper protocol for an IV includes checking the site regularly.
“I don’t know how it happened other than neglect.”
She said she plans to launch an formal complaint and wants the incident to be investigated.
“I’m surprised that so many mistakes happen in a children’s hospital that is one of the best in Canada. We need to make sure that this never happens to another kid because it is avoidable.”
Gunther said she has received apologies from Stollery officials and a skin graft is expected in the next day or so.
— with files from Julia Wong