Tragic injection: Medical mishap leaves young Trang boy’s life hanging by a thread

A severe incident of medical negligence occurred in Trang Province, where a four year old boy’s condition worsened and then he nearly died after allegedly receiving a wrongful adrenaline injection by a nurse. The Trang Province Public Health Office has initiated an investigation into the case, as stated by Chief Physician Sinchai Rongdech.

The incident saw the light of the day when the boy’s mother chronicled the ordeal on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The post, shared by @RedSkullxxx, revealed that the boy was admitted to a private hospital with symptoms of fever and cough on June 21. Although he originally planned to stay for one night, his condition rapidly deteriorated after an adrenaline injection, leading to severe vomiting of blood and shock.

The young victim spent approximately four hours in the private hospital’s emergency room, during which attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Consequently, he was transferred to Trang Hospital and later referred to the Southern Centre Hospital. The four year old stayed in an intensive care unit (ICU) for 12 days, where he was diagnosed with an adrenaline overdose and respiratory infection.

Upon the boy’s condition stabilising, the private hospital confessed to making an error during the prescription process – the doctor had prescribed an adrenaline spray, not an intravenous adrenaline injection.

Sinchai pointed out that spray adrenaline is typically prescribed for fully conscious patients, while IV adrenaline is reserved for patients in an unconscious state. Adding to the controversy, the nurse who administered the injection was reportedly a part-time employee of the hospital.

Although the boy’s health has considerably improved, he continues to suffer from hemiparesis, characterised by partial weakness on one side of the body. The family was guaranteed compensation of at least 870,000 baht, but as of yesterday, no payment has been received.

The boy’s family is now seeking maximum compensation as per law, considering that the boy’s recovery period will extend for a minimum of two years, reported Bangkok Post.

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