Autistic four-year-old died after doctors didn't recognise neurodivergent child's "atypical" sepsis presentation
Quote:
A four-year-old boy who died from sepsis after being sent home from hospital three times had his symptoms missed because doctors did not recognise his "atypical" presentation, an inquest has heard.
The parents of a four-year-old boy who died from sepsis in hospital after staff missed a key chance to save his life are campaigning for better care in his name. Lindita Alushi, 44, and Kastriot Klosi, 50, took Daniel Klosi to the Royal Free Hospital in London four times in the week before his death in 2023.
But the family was sent home on three occasions - allegedly with instructions to give Daniel the medicine Calpol. It was only on the fourth visit to A&E that doctors admitted him to the children's emergency department. Tragically, by this point he had deteriorated rapidly - and died a few hours later in the early hours of April 2 last year.
During the inquest into the death, which concluded last month, coroner Mary Elizabeth Hassell said Daniel, who had autism, came in with an "atypical" presentation of sepsis and there was a "lack of recognition" of how to view the needs of a neurodivergent child.
Now, on World Sepsis Day (September 13), Daniel's parents are campaigning for greater awareness on how to care for neurodivergent children with the life-threatening condition. They hope to introduce 'Daniel's Rule' in their son's memory.
In a narrative conclusion, Ms Hassell said the doctor who assessed Daniel on his third visit to hospital failed to read his medical records and failed to elicit a full parental history. She added: "Crucially, this meant that the consultant failed to appreciate that Daniel’s current illness had been ongoing for a week.
"As a consequence, she failed to order blood tests. These would have demonstrated a very elevated C-reactive protein. Intravenous antibiotics would then have been administered. Daniel’s life would have been saved."
Dr Ron Daniels, founder and joint CEO of the charity UK Sepsis Trust, said: “Because sepsis can arise as a complication of any infection in people of any age, it can be difficult for health professionals to spot. However, years on from the tragic death of William Mead to sepsis in 2014, it is unacceptable that lives are still being lost in cases like Daniel’s, where his parents presented to healthcare multiple times.
“It is crucial that healthcare professionals recognise that for every patient - but particularly those who are neurodivergent or have a learning disability - the parents or carers know how sick their loved one is better than the doctor or nurse. Our professions need to get much better at listening to parents like Lindita and Kastriot to prevent future avoidable tragedies."
A Royal Free London spokesperson said: "We are deeply sorry that Daniel died while under our care and would like to share our heartfelt condolences with his family and loved ones. Following a thorough investigation, we identified a number of areas for improvement, and measures were taken to immediately address these.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
13 Sep 2024, 11:40 am
