Boy, 5, put on ventilator in a coma just hours after visiting his GP for a cough
A five-year-old boy ended up on a ventilator in a medically induced coma just hours after visiting his GP.
On June 14, Ezra-Jac Crabb was rushed to hospital after having trouble breathing. Worried mum Stephanie Parsons said her boy had an out-of-hours appointment at the GP the day before for a cough. He was given steroids for croup and seemed fine when he was checked over.
But the next day, Ezra was kept home from school and went back to the doctor with his brother. During the appointment at Pont Newydd Medical Centre in Porth, Wales, the family claimed Ezra started to have a "coughing fit" with breathing difficulties.
Ezra was put on the ventilator in a coma for six days (Stephanie Parsons)
Ezra was diagnosed with croup (Stephanie Parsons)Concerned for his son, his father asked the GP if they could take a quick look at him while they were there, Wales Online reports. Stephanie claims her partner was told they should have made a separate appointment as it "wasn't fair" on other patients. The GP did look at Ezra and said his oxygen levels were at 92, extremely "low for his age” - but says no treatment was offered.
"[The GP] did nothing, all they did was give his dad a row because he should have booked him an appointment," Stephanie said. "I'm sorry my son becoming suddenly ill is an inconvenience to [them]."
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Worried for Ezra, the family raced to A&E at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital where he tested positive for croup, Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) - a common respiratory virus - and Rhinovirus. Stephanie said: "Literally within two hours he was put into an induced coma, they ventilated him and he was up in theatre waiting for the transport team to take him to Bristol Pediatrics ICU."
Stephanie has praised hospital staff for their "amazing" treatment, claiming that they were told by medical professionals that the GP would have had access to steroids, nebulizers and oxygen. She added: "He should have been given something and [the GP] should have tried.
“I’m not saying the GP could have prevented it because we’ll never know that, but [the GP] didn’t try. When he was in that GP, his airways were closing.”
Stephanie described the "horrible" scenes of seeing her little boy on the ventilator. "I put my faith in them [doctors at the hospital] to look after my child," she told Wales Online. "To see him sat there and he didn't have a clue what was going on, soaking in sweat, severe [breathing] recessions - literally everything was sucking in, it was like someone had vacuumed him. It was horrible, seeing him in Bristol on the ventilator, pumping everything they could into him."
Ezra remained in a coma for six days at Bristol Hospital before being transferred back to Royal Glamorgan. A week after Ezra returned home, the family booked a follow-up appointment for a check-up with a different GP at the medical centre, as they claim they were advised to by the intensive care unit.
During this appointment, Stephanie claimed that the GP "didn’t know what to do” with Ezra until she asked him to check his chest, throat, and airways. She said that she isn’t happy with the level of care or treatment at the medical centre.
Stephanie said that she understands the NHS is under pressure, but claims "mistakes like this shouldn't happen". She said she hopes that by sharing their story, another child's symptoms won't be dismissed.
A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said: “We are concerned to hear about the severity of Ezra’s illness and send our best wishes to him and his family. While we are not able to comment on the specifics of Ezra’s care at his GP surgery, we encourage the family to get in touch with us directly so that we can explore their concerns in more detail.”
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