BMC appoints committee to probe amputation of two-month-old baby’s hand at KEM

The four-member internal committee comprises Dr Harish Pathak, academic dean and head of the forensic medicine department, Dr Mohan Desai, professor and head of the orthopaedic department, Dr Sunil Karande, professor and head of the paediatric department and Dr Anjali Rajadhaksha, professor, medicine department

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appointed a four-member committee to look into possible doctors’ negligence in the amputation of the right arm of a nearly two-month-old baby, born prematurely, on Friday, at the KEM Hospital, Parel.

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“I have asked to form a committee on Saturday to look into the issue of medical negligence in the KEM Hospital, where a two-month-old baby’s hand was amputated. Committee to submit a report in 15 days (sic),” Sudhakar Shinde, the additional municipal commissioner (health), said.

The four-member internal committee comprises Dr Harish Pathak, academic dean and head of the forensic medicine department, Dr Mohan Desai, professor and head of the orthopaedic department, Dr Sunil Karande, professor and head of the paediatric department and Dr Anjali Rajadhaksha, professor, medicine department.

Joy knew no bounds for Ashwini and Rahul Chavan when they were blessed with a son on June 19. The baby was born after six months and 10 days of gestation and weighed 1.26kg. He was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in KEM Hospital and was put on an intravenous (IV) drip.

Rahul, an auto rickshaw driver in Nalasopara, earns between ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 a month. Ashwini is a homemaker. They have another son, who is 7 years old.

Rahul said, “My wife noticed our child’s hand was bluish on July 15, and she informed the doctor on duty at the time. But no action was taken.” On further discolouration up to the elbow, the IV drip was taken out and tests revealed that the blood circulation to the arm had stopped. “The hand dried up. It then blackened,” Rahul said.

According to a senior doctor from KEM hospital, the right upper limb showed thrombosis – a coagulation or clotting of the blood in a part of the body – of the right brachial, radial and ulnar artery. The next days involved medicinal efforts to reverse the condition, using a heparin infusion, and consultations with radiology, plastic surgery and orthopaedic doctors. “Many doctors visited and were involved in trying to save the hand,” Rahul added.

However, these efforts were to no effect. “The discolouration worsened involving the right hand and lower forearm which showed gangrenous changes,” the doctor said, referring to the death of body tissue due to lack of blood flow.

“In an extremely preterm neonate with multiple risk factors of early-onset sepsis, very low birth weight, late-onset sepsis, septic shock, enterococcal meningitis and feed intolerance, thrombus formation is a reasonably known foreseeable complication. Despite the best available tertiary level care, in a few unfortunate cases, such complications have been reported in the past,” the doctor said. “It is unfortunate that after all possible interventions to salvage the upper limb, we had to go ahead with amputation to save the life of the baby.”

The child is still currently being held in the NICU. “All I want is for my child to be stable so I can take him home. Now his hand is gone, but his future remains,” Rahul said. He added that he was informed the baby has pneumonia in the morning.