Author Chimamanda Adichie recently lost her son Nkanu....
She explained on X how one person's carelessness led to the loss of her precious child and says that she will never survive the loss of her child!
“We were in Lagos for Christmas. Nkanu had what we first thought was just a cold, but soon turned into a very serious infection and he was admitted to Atlantis hospital. He was to travel to the US the next day, January 7th, accompanied by Travelling Doctors. A team at Johns Hopkins was waiting to receive him in Baltimore.
The Hopkins team had asked for a lumbar puncture test and an MRI. The Nigerian team had also decided to put in a 'central line' (used to administer iv medications) in preparation for Nkanu's flight. Atlantis hospital referred us to Euracare Hospital, which was said to be the best place to have the procedures done.
The morning of the 6th, we left Atlantis hospital for Euracare, Nkanu carried in his father's arms. We were told he would need to be sedated to prevent him from moving during the MRI and the 'central line' procedure. I was waiting just outside the theater. I saw people, including Dr M, rushing into the theater and immediately knew something had happened.
A short time later, Dr M came out and told me Nkanu had been given too much propofol by the anesthesiologist, had become unresponsive and was quickly resuscitated. But suddenly Nkanu was on a ventilator, he was intubated and placed in the ICU. The next thing I heard was that he had seizures. Cardiac arrest. All these had never happened before.
Some hours later, Nkanu was gone It turns out that Nkanu was NEVER monitored after being given too much propofol. The anesthesiologist had just casually carried Nkanu on his shoulder to the theater, so nobody knows when exactly Nkanu became unresponsive.
How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him? Later, after the 'central line' procedure, the anesthesiologist casually switched off Nkanu's oxygen and again decided to carry him on his shoulder to the ICU! The anesthesiologist was CRIMINALLY negligent.
He was fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child. No proper protocol was followed. We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day. We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever.
It is like living your worst nightmare.
I will never survive the loss of my child.
We have now heard about two previous cases of this same anesthesiologist overdosing children. Why did Euracare allow him to keep working?
This must never happen to another child”.
CNA
Oh Lord 😭. This is so heartbreaking to read. The parents would be regretting coming to Nigeria and all. May God console them.
ReplyDeleteThis is something every parent dreads...the loss of a child 😭
DeleteI feel her pains, may God condole his family 🤗👏
Hmmm may God comfort her and her family. Noone should ever go through this.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a pity that a life has to go due to someone professional negligent, the doctor and the hospital should be taken to court.
ReplyDeleteMay God rest Nkanu soul and comfort his parents.
One incident too many. That hospital should be sued into the ground. Why is propofol even still being used in the medical world? Aren't there other chemicals that do a better job at more predictable doses? Yes I know the science behind anesthesiology still hasn't been fully understood but there have to be other safer chemicals to use.
ReplyDeleteI feel for this lady. No one should have to go through the pain of losing a child.
So sad a child has to lose his life. I just tire
DeleteThey will be held responsible in this case. What utter negligence.
DeleteAnesthesia is risky. One has to be very careful with how it is administered and the dosage too. Even more careful when it comes to children because their own dosage, for any drug actually is dicey.
DeleteThis is so sad and painful. May God comfort and console you and your family.
ReplyDeleteVery painful, may his gentle soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad 😢😢
ReplyDeleteMay his soul rest in peace
This is so painful...
ReplyDeleteMay Nigeria hospital never happen to us...
ReplyDeleteNow that they have carried their negligence to kpai an American citizen, the child of an international figure, they should be ready to go aground. American government will leave no stone unturned to bring them to the ground.
The hospital management and the anesthesiologist should be crying bitterly by now cos the best lawyers here cannot save them.
I pray they are actually brought to the ground so that others will take precautions.
Nigerian hospitals are death traps and one of the most important prayers should be to not fall so sick that you have to visit the hospital here.
Rest in peace dear handsome boy.
A terrible thing that happened to her kid. I can't imagine how much she's grieving, especially as the kid was a twin, so there's always a constant reminder of what was lost.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the infection was that they opted for returning back to the U.S and not managing him here? Also questioning the need for a central line- I personally don't think it was Absolutely necessary considering, and this is usually done under light sedation. Propofol, the Michael Jackson drug, can be tricky.
Might have been the 'Ceiebrity effect' where the facility tends to do too much, just because....
Will like to see the hospitals response just to make sense of this..
My sincere Condolences Mrs Adichie. May GOD grant your heart peace.
You know what, you are probably right. I had a port procedure at the chest and while I was awake for it, the whole thing took some wind out of me, it’s simple but it isn’t really. I cannot imagine being a sick toddler going through that before having to travel. Johns Hopkins should have done that procedure themselves and let the child reserve their energy which he would need for the long flight ahead. Easier for them isn’t easier for the child who is already dealing with a diminished capacity. There was no need for it to be done in Nigeria.
DeleteA terrible thing that happened to her kid. I can't imagine how much she's grieving, especially as the kid was a twin, so there's always a constant reminder of what was lost.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the infection was that they opted for returning back to the U.S and not managing him here? Also questioning the need for a central line- I personally don't think it was Absolutely necessary considering, and this is usually done under light sedation. Propofol, the Michael Jackson drug, can be tricky.
Might have been the 'Ceiebrity effect' where the facility tends to do too much, just because....
Will like to see the hospitals response just to make sense of this..
My sincere Condolences Mrs Adichie. May GOD grant your heart peace.
This is so sad.
ReplyDeleteMay his soul rest in peace
So I saw this movie, uche Montana and uzor arukwe were doctors and went on a date, so uzor asked uche if she had ever killed anyone in the course of duty and she said yes, she also asked him and he said yes and they laughed about it, of course it's a movie, but I paused and thought about.
ReplyDeleteMedical professionals kill people all the time due to negligence and what not!! Omg!! My dislike for hospitals increased from that day.
Odeluwa I can't imagine what you are going through but my prayers are with you and your family, Nne may God comfort you.🤗🤗
This is so painful to read because it seems like the parents had made all the right choices to give their child the best chance of survival.
ReplyDeleteNothing to do with general anesthesia is simple, one miscalculation in deciding the type and amount and everything is over, it’s precision chemistry with a very minuscule margin for error. Truthfully, sometimes it’s hard to predict outcomes and that why it is best to administer only in the room where the procedure is to take place and where the full team is gathered and ready to start. I’m not sure why it was administered in a different location from the theatre, how do they monitor breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure if the patient isn’t hooked up to the machines prior to being given the anaesthesia. I thought the team lead had to be in the same room and aware when the sedative is administered so the clock starts ticking for their procedure. I guess every hospital has their own procedure.
May God take control of this devastating situation and bring healing to all involved.
This is so painful 😢
ReplyDeleteMay God console and comfort her and her family.
This is so painful to read.....May God comfort her and her family and May the little boy's soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteIt's well with you Nwanyi Oma
ReplyDeleteMay God console and your hubby
Oh Lord! This too painful for even me, imagine what the mother must be going through.😭😭😭
ReplyDeleteWho knows how many innocent children them go don kpai like this.
One thing is for sure, they will never be kpai anymore, carelessly.
God, please comfort the parents.
We never know. My mom was a nurse and the truth is mistakes happen all the time in hospitals just like anywhere else. Sometimes ppl get lazy and form bad habits, not upholding the rigour that was demanded while they were in training and subsequently leaving families in turmoil for the rest of their lives when the worst happens.
DeleteThis is so terrible and heartbreaking😥
ReplyDeleteMedical negligence is a crime against humanity and should be prosecuted accordingly.
May God comfort you and your family
This is so painful. May God grant you and your family comfort and consolation 🙏🏽
ReplyDeleteSo sad 🥲
ReplyDeleteMay his soul rest in peace
God have mercy. who sedate a child or any body without proper monitoring.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, no matter what I still prefer teaching hospital. All medical teams will always be on ground to do their parts. This is poor negligence and so sad and I hope she sue them.
May God comfort her.
That was how they said they'll give my baby girl of just 2 years mild sedation just to do X-ray on her teeth that has issues sometimes last year. My dear we refused ooh.
My uncle died in a teaching hospital. He had just had a brain surgery that turned out wasn't even needed. After the surgery, they moved him to the ward, just like that, no monitoring of any vitals, nothing. He died just like that!
DeleteEven in the so called teaching hospital alot of negligence happens too, may God help us as most of the best dr's has been harvested to abroad
DeleteThis is terribly heartbreaking. Dear God, please be by their side🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
ReplyDeleteThis Is Really Painful oooo
ReplyDeleteGod Please Console Them 🙏
Hello iya Boys
Sedate a sick child, and carry him on your shoulder to the ICU, what happened to using a gurney? He has overdosed 2 children, and he was still allowed to continue? 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬. Suing the hospital won't bring the boy back, but they should sue their a&&es.
ReplyDeleteKai. It is well
ReplyDeleteThis is heartbreaking 😭😭😭
ReplyDeleteToo painful to read.
My sincere condolences to her family..
So sad. Rest well Bobo. 🙏🏿😭
ReplyDeleteThis is so painful and sad. No parent should ever go through this. Only God can console them because even i am short of words.
ReplyDeleteThis is heartbreaking 💔 alot of people would have been alive if not hospital mismanagement. My father was killed by overdose too, a nurse already gave him a certain injection before closing but the one that resumed re administered the same injection and a man that was already getting better and preparing to go home kpai under 30 mins
ReplyDeleteAwwww this is soooo heartbreaking 💔 no words..
ReplyDeleteSo sad. Rest on little hero.
ReplyDeleteHospital negligence has caused too many deaths!
ReplyDeleteThis was an avoidable death for goodness sakes 😢😥. Now I wish they didn't come home for the holidays; who knows? Maybe the baby would still be alive by now.
It's high time something serious is done about all these cases of utter unethical negligence by these hospitals... Otherwise, they will continue to throw caution to the wind!
That's how my friend's neighbor had a child at a hospital in Ajah, and out of unprofessionalism and ethical negligence, the nurse attending to her child delivery pulled the baby's hand and damaged the hand. A very beautiful baby girl now has a disfigured hand.
People advised her to suie the hospital, but she declined, and chose instead to chanel all her attention on looking for remedy for the damaged hand of her daughter...
Nigeria my country...NOT
ReplyDeleteLike
DeleteCome home, come home, this is why I never do!
ReplyDeleteThis is really sad.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a heartbreaking matter. I’ve cried so many times I’ve lost count. I’ve never met her sons, but I cannot imagine the horror. She also lost her parents a few years ago. This will compound that loss, in ways we just cannot comprehend.
ReplyDeleteI am also gutted that someone within her small circle leaked what was an otherwise personal communication she sent to them. That was 100% classless, and I hope she might identify and restrict confidential info going to that person.
I hope this case is investigated thoroughly, and expeditiously. I foresee some incoming expensive lawsuit. It will not bring the baby back— God rest his soul— but might allow for accountability in places needed.
Terrible to have to bury a child you’ve longed for, you’ve held in your arms, you’ve named and loved so let’s refrain from blaming the parents here. Give them the grace to grieve their loss.
Carrying scared patients over the shoulder?
ReplyDeleteSuch patients not being monitored? Don't nurses work there?
Central anaesthetic for scans and central line?
The NMDC and the NMA shouldn't be silent on this.
Kai!
ReplyDeleteThis is so painful.
Nigeria's public and private hospitals are just death traps and only God can save one. Reminds me of their carelessness at....when mine was left unattended to by any doctor for over 12 hours because no doctor was on ground. All had gone for private practice and left only student doctors to attend to patients. Despite arrive there at 3.00pm, only students doctors hovered around her. In the morning, someone came to measure her tummy in my presence. I left to freshen up as I came from work that night and had an early morning meeting and her husband rushed to get some items from home. In less than 30 minutes we left, they induced her, brought out a warm and already dead baby and cleaned her up. At my return before leaving for work, she was narrating what I still cannot process till tomorrow. Long story short, all they gave was a flimsy and sham excuse. Till tomorrow, I still shudder at how careless some professionals are. I still cannot get the distraught face of her helpless husband out of my mind. He begged, begged and begged for them to sign her out throughout the night so he can take her to a private hospital in V/I no matter the cost. That fell on deaf ears. Both of us did not shut our eyes throughout the night till day break yet the wicked desires of these demonic agents was fulfilled. They took the still birth away and we never saw him. I keep shutting this out of my mind, denying it never happened. But each time I see these kind of experience, the whole thing flood and flash back with deep pain. Who is next and how long shall we as a people and nation continue like this? When will foreigners fly into Nigeria for the best medical care? May the soul of the departed infant rest in peace in the bosom of the Lord. And may God Almighty comfort his bereaved parents.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Joshua came with his friends, returned alone, Odeluwa came with twins, returning with one. And so many others who didn’t make the news. Wonderful country. You stay back, they make you live a miserable life. You leave, any time you visit them, they drag you down into the misery that you escaped!
ReplyDeleteDear Nigeria university VCs,
ReplyDeleteIf you are reading this, please stop admitting unintelligent students in medical school. Stop training people who have no business being a doctor.
Medical schools are for highly qualified students, is not for the wealthy or people who want to have a medical doctor in their family.
This is a very serious problem that if not handled correctly, we all will have to deal with the consequences. Imagine the next 10 years of chucking out clueless doctors?
Please solve the problem from the root. Medicine is a high priority cause and should remain so.
Thank you.
I love this. I hope they get to see it.
DeleteCEO Empress
ReplyDeleteThis is Heart Wrenching
No parents should experience such
Medical Negligence should be dealt with brutally as a deterrent to other medical personnel
CEO Empress