Tuesday, 4 Apr 2023
Updated / Tuesday, 4 Apr 2023 22:34
By Dyane Connor
A narrative verdict has been recorded at the inquest into the death of
a 15-year-old boy who died from a combination of sepsis, pneumonia and
Influenza B five years ago.
Sean Hughes had been unwell with flu for a number of days before having
a cardiac arrest at his home in Finglas in Dublin and dying hours later
in hospital at CHI Temple Street on Friday 12 January 2018.
His parents believe their GP should have sent him to hospital the day
before he collapsed but the family doctor has defended the care she
gave him.
A narrative verdict is a factual statement of the circumstances
surrounding a death without attributing the cause to an individual.
Karen Phoenix said her son started to feel unwell with flu-like
symptoms on Monday 8 January 2018 and was so unwell that she brought
him to the family GP two days' later.
He was diagnosed with influenza and prescribed antibiotics and
painkillers.
Ms Phoenix said Sean deteriorated on Thursday, his chest was sore, he
had breathing difficulties, and he told her he felt he was going to
die.
She said they decided not to go to hospital because of adverts advising
people with flu to stay away and planned to return to the GP the
following morning.
But while watching television with his mother at around 11.30pm that
night, Sean had a cardiac and respiratory arrest.
His father Joseph performed CPR until an ambulance arrived and he was
taken to CHI Temple Street, where he died hours later.
Lawyers for Sean Hughes' parents said the GP, Dr Katrina McCrory,
should have sent him to hospital when she examined him the day before
his cardiac arrest.
Ms Phoenix believes Dr McCrory did not carry out a proper examination
and her solicitor told the inquest that there were a number of red
flags for hospitalisation during the consultation, including Sean's
breathing difficulty.
But Dr McCrory denied this, saying there was no evidence of respiratory
distress when she saw Sean whom she believed had influenza but
suspected he might have an early respiratory tract infection.
She said she did not believe that Sean needed antibiotics but
prescribed half the recommended dose "because of certain expectation in
the community to be given a prescription" when a patient visits their
GP.
Dr McCrory said she would have told Sean and his mother that she was
available if his condition worsened.
Damien Tansey, acting for the parents, put it to Dr McCrory that
"whatever killed him was under way when you saw him" to which she
replied: "I don't accept that".
Dr Jacqueline McBrien, Consultant Paedetrician at CHI Temple Street,
said: "We were in the height of the highest recorded flu season of its
time that particular winter."
She told the coroner: "I think [Sean] had a heavy flu. I think he had a
flu infection in his chest. I think he developed a staph aureus
infection in his chest which got into his blood and caused sepsis."
Dr McBrien added that, in Sean's case, it is impossible to know if he
had a respiratory arrest first or a cardiac arrest, but he had signs of
both.
The inquest also heard that his lungs were three times the weight, both
were opaque and it was impossible to know how long it took for the
lungs to get to that condition.
Dr McBrien said: "We need to bare in mind that the X-ray would have
been done immediately after the arrest, we don't know what it looked
like earlier in the day."
She said that antibiotic resistant illnesses have to be avoided, saying
doctors have been "far too liberal prescribing antibiotics".
She said that Influenza B opens the door to other infections such as a
staphylococcus aureus which Sean had.
Dr McBrien said that six children under 16 died from flu that winter
and since then, a flu vaccine is offered free of charge to children.
Karen Phoenix said Sean was her pal who went everywhere with her and
loved life.
She said: "The first two things you’d notice about Sean was his red
hair and smile."
She said everyone would comment on his beautiful teeth.
"Sean was a little gentleman, he had respect for everybody, everyone
liked him," she said.
Ms Phoenix said that Sean was an "up-and-coming rapper" called "Lil’
Red" with a real passion for producing music.
Joseph Hughes said: "The day our son died it destroyed our family".
He said his daughter named her son Sean in honour of his uncle, whom he
never met.
Coronor Dr Clare Keane gave a narrative verdict outlining the
circumstances surrounding the teenagers death five years ago and made a
number of recommendations.
She said she was endorsing the advice for children to get the flu
vaccine and said she would be contacting relevant authorities in
relation to advertising asking for specific criteria be included to
advise people when to go to a hospital emergency department.