Pediatric Otolaryngologist Discharges Fatally Ill Patient

Case Overview

This case takes place in Michigan and involves a male child who was born with a laryngeal cleft that had been repaired when he was a toddler. As a result of the defect and subsequent repair, the patient had endured multiple bouts of pneumonia and other respiratory infections throughout childhood, causing worry that he may be susceptible to Legionella bacteria and other medical threats. On one occasion, the patient’s mother brought him to the emergency room after he began to demonstrate shortness of breath and wheezing while in school. He was admitted and received an ENT consult shortly afterwards. While the patient was in the hospital, his oxygen levels were noted to be low by the attending physician. The patient’s mother also reported to the ENT that he had been having trouble swallowing in the days leading up to the ER visit. Initially there was concern that the child had suffered lung damage from the use of baby powder. The ENT recommended that endoscopy be performed in a few weeks, and discharged the child on oxygen. A few days later the patient collapsed at home. He was rushed to hospital but was dead on arrival. The autopsy revealed aspiration pneumonia as the cause of death.