The primary cause of death of the deceased was noted as MEDICAL in a person undergoing SURGERY.”
A SURGEON not directly involved in diagnosis or management of a MEDICAL condition has been criminally charged with culpable homicide, 5 years after a post mortem found:
"The primary cause of death of the deceased was noted as MEDICAL in a person undergoing SURGERY.”
Statement:
The new charge is related to an incident in July 2016 at Morningside Mediclinic, where Beale allegedly unlawfully and negligently caused the death of a 21-month-old girl, Alissa Strydom.
“The mother of the deceased [Marelize Strydom] INFORMED Dr Lynda Blesovsky [who has since passed away] that the deceased was ill with a cold/flu or bronchitis approximately THREE weeks before July 29 2016.
“She also informed the doctor that the deceased underwent a previous operation on May 31 2016 for a dilation of the oesophagus,” said the papers.
At about 3pm the toddler was taken into the theatre for the procedure, a Nissen laparoscopic fundoplication, to be conducted and it was terminated at about 6.50pm.
“Intra-operatively, an arterial haemorrhage was encountered. The impact of the blood loss during the operation was not documented. No request was made for an urgent haemoglobin level test nor was an intraoperative arterial blood gas test conducted. No efforts were made intra-operatively to exclude haemorrhagic shock.
“The anaesthesia was reversed and the deceased was extubated in theatre. An oral airway was placed and the deceased was breathing spontaneously, whereafter she was transferred to the recovery room. The registered nurse, Ms T Ramjee, noted that the deceased was clinically pale,” reads the charge sheet.
The surgery was supposed to take about an hour-and-a-half but it took more than three hours, says the document.
“An arterial blood gas test was conducted in the recovery room at approximately 8.38pm, which demonstrated a hematocrit (proportion of red blood cells in blood) of 21%.
“The deceased suffered bradycardia and a cardiac arrest. After a prolonged resuscitation the deceased was declared dead at approximately 8.57pm on July 29 2016.”
Statement:
"The primary MEDICAL cause of the death of the deceased was noted as myocarditis [which is inflammation of the heart] in a person undergoing SURGERY," the indictment read.
Review:
The incidence of myocarditis in children is uncertain but it is estimated that 1 per 100,000 children per year are affected. It has been reported that 0.05% of all pediatric hospitalizations are for myocarditis. Understanding the incidence of myocarditis is problematic because the disease is difficult to diagnose.
The signs and symptoms of myocarditis can be quite variable. Infants may show signs of listlessness, labored breathing and pallor. Frequently, they become disinterested in feeding or very fussy and difficult to console. Most older children will complain of abdominal or chest discomfort, fatigue or weakness. Respiratory symptoms such as increased work of breathing and wheezing may lead physicians to incorrectly diagnose children with asthma or pneumonia. It is not unusual for some patients to have experienced flu-like symptoms a few days or weeks before seeing a physician. Sometimes, sudden death is the FIRST sign that something is wrong.