Doctor defends antibiotics decision at baby's inquest

A doctor treating a premature baby has defended the decision not to give him antibiotics the day before he died.

Two-month-old Ben Condon died in Bristol Children's Hospital in April 2015 after developing a respiratory illness.

During a second inquest into his death experts suggested Ben - who was being treated for acute respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS] and metapneumovirus [hMPV], which are similar to the common cold in adults - should have been given antibiotics sooner.

Dr Suzanne Dean said judging it by his symptoms at the time that was "not the right thing to do".

"If we treated every child that had a change of X-ray and the changes we saw in Ben with antibiotics, then we would be treating with antibiotics all the time," she said.

Dr Dean said although Ben was being ventilated and was unwell, his condition was stable.

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust has previously admitted a failure to give Ben timely antibiotics contributed to his death.

A previous inquest originally recorded his death as ARDS, hMPV and prematurity, which was quashed by the High Court after new evidence emerged.

Dr Dean told the inquest doctors always recognised there was a risk of a baby developing a bacterial infection, but Ben presented as stable on 16 April.

Avon Coroner's Court heard Ben's condition deteriorated the following day, and he suffered two cardiac arrests before dying.

It later emerged that Ben had also developed a pseudomonas bacterial infection.

Assistant Coroner Robert Sowersby asked whether there was a "missed opportunity" not to test Ben's blood for a bacterial infection on any day between 12 and 16 April.

Dr Dean said it was "difficult" to say with the knowledge they have now, but said: "I don't believe he showed signs of an infection on 16 April".

"In hindsight I wish we had taken a set up of bloods on 16," said Dr Dean, adding: "It's unlikely it would have made a difference."

Ben's father Allyn Condon, who lives in Weston-super-Mare, told the inquest his son was visibly deteriorating in front of him between 14 and 16 April.

"The difficulty is that I didn't share that view that he was changing that significantly," Dr Dean told the Condon family's lawyer Jennifer Macleod.

"The X-ray was changing but the child around it wasn't - the rest of him was managing very well," she added.

Ms MacLeod suggested Ben was getting worse the day before he died because of a bacterial infection.

Dr Dean said she did not agree, explaining: "Two other consultants examined him on the afternoon of 16 April and neither of them felt anything else needed to be changed."

The coroner also referred to a report by consultant microbiologist Dr James Gray, which states bloodstream infections with pseudomonas are "extremely serious, especially in babies" and carry a high risk of death.

Dr Dean replied: "A bloodstream infection on any child is a risk," adding that Dr Gray's papers all focused on babies in an Intensive Therapy Unit, including "extreme pre-terms".

Reflecting on the decision not to administer antibiotics, she said: "We have rely on what we are seeing and if things change, reassess.

"You cannot put someone on antibiotics because there is a risk of it, because every child is at risk of it."

The inquest continues.

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