THE PARENTS of a “happy” baby boy are demanding answers, after their tot passed away despite repeated visits to A&E.
“Much-loved” Archie Squire died of a rare heart condition just days after his first birthday.
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Doctors allegedly failed to properly diagnose him – despite more than 10 visits to A&E in his short life, lawyers representing his parents said.
Lauren Parrish and Jake Squire hope to discover if more could have been done to save their little boy at an inquest at North East Kent Coroner’s Court, which starts next week.
The parents have said they’ve endured an “incredibly painful” journey since Archie’s death in November 2023, made worse by having to wait for answers.
Archie, born on November 20, 2022, died just three days after his first birthday at Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, Kent.
Read more on heart health
His family claims that he was reviewed more than 10 times during his short life in the A&E and Urgent Care Centre at the hospital, after presenting with symptoms including constipation, breathlessness and “failure to thrive” – as he wasn’t gaining weight or growing as expected.
Lauren and Jake said the tot was discharged on several occasions and diagnosed with bronchiolitis, a respiratory infection common in babies.
The day after his first birthday in November 2023, Archie was admitted to the hospital from the A&E department due to constipation and vomiting.
He sadly died two days later after suffering two cardiac arrests.
A post-mortem revealed Archie had a rare heart condition that can gone undetected by doctors.
His heart failure was caused by isolated cardiac ventricular inversion, a heart defect where the heart’s atria are connected to the ventricles in an abnormal way.
The disease is congenital, which means there is a fault or problem with the heart that’s there from birth.
Studies have suggested less than 50 cases of isolated ventricular inversion have been reported globally since 1966.
An East Kent Hospitals Trust investigation into the death, ordered by the coroner, reportedly found there were “missed opportunities” to recognise an “abnormal cardiac shadow” on an X-ray in October 2023.
Little Archie’s family said in a statement: “Archie was a much-loved, happy little boy, and his death has left an irreparable hole in our lives.
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“It has been an incredibly painful journey for our family, which has only been made worse by having to wait years to get answers about what happened to him.
“We are committed to doing all we can to ensure no other family is left having to go through what we have been through, and hope this inquest will finally help us understand whether more could and should have been done to prevent Archie’s death.”
The week-long inquest, beginning on Monday April 19, will hear from doctors and nurses who reviewed Archie, as well as evidence from an expert in general practice and a paediatric cardiac surgeon.
Archie’s parents will be represented by Lily Hedgman, a medical negligence solicitor with Leigh Day, and barrister Emily Raynor.
What is isolated cardiac ventricular inversion?
Isolated cardiac ventricular inversion is an extremely rare congenital heart defect.
It was first described in medical literature 1966 and it’s thought that less than 50 cases have been reported since then.
The heart is made up of four chambers.
There are two upper chambers, the left and right atrium, that they receive blood flowing into the heart.
The two lower chambers are called the ventricles and they they pump blood out of the heart.
Your blood flows around your heart and the rest of your body in one direction, like a one-way traffic system.
If someone has isolated cardiac ventricular inversion, the left atrium enters the right ventricle and vice-versa.
This results in oxygenated blood is pumped back to the lungs instead of the body, and deoxygenated blood being pumped to the body.
Ms Hedgman said: “Archie died just days after his first birthday.
“His family have shown incredible strength, dignity and resilience throughout this process, motivated by an unwavering determination to ensure that no other family has to endure a similar loss.
“They hope that this inquest will provide a full and transparent account of Archie’s care and reveal whether any opportunities to diagnose his heart condition, and therefore avoid his death, were missed.”
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, which manages QEQM, was approached for comment.
