Addenbrooke's Hospital: Baby dies of medical neglect; not given routine vitamin
medical neglect has come to light as a coroner reveals that the absence of a routine vitamin led to the untimely demise of baby William Moris-Patto.
Born prematurely at 34 weeks in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, in July 2020, William tragically passed away seven weeks later from bleeding in the brain.
The coroner, Lorna Skinner KC, determined that this devastating loss could have been prevented had William received the vital vitamin K, essential for blood clotting.
During the inquest held in Huntingdon, it was disclosed that William's mother had specifically inquired about the administration of vitamin K.
However, on the night of 11 September, William's health took a turn for the worse.
His parents promptly contacted the NHS 111 service, leading to his admission to Addenbrooke's. Despite surgical intervention, it was determined that the damage to William's brain was irreversible, and he passed away on 17 September.
The coroner emphasized that vitamin K administration has long been a standard practice in newborn care.
Every baby is born with a deficiency, making this oversight particularly grave. Skinner stated, «It was not just compounded, but for all practical purposes rendered irremediable, by the erroneous entry on his admission record that he had had it… This was neglect.»
In a poignant narrative conclusion, Skinner confirmed that William's death resulted from a vitamin K deficiency, leading to a spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage.
