An investigation was opened after the death, on August 3, of an 11-year-old girl at the Brest University Hospital admitted for a back operation. According to the family, she suffered a punctured trachea during anesthesia.
Lilou, an 11-year-old girl, died on August 3 at the Brest CHRU, in Finistère, where she had been admitted for a back operation. She died after having a perforated trachea during anesthesia.
An investigation was opened by the Brest public prosecutor’s office after a complaint from the child’s parents.
• Why was Lilou admitted?
Lilou, described as a fulfilled and joyful 11-year-old girl, had no medical history apart from scoliosis which forced her to wear a corset. In order to alleviate this problem, the doctor who treats her for this pathology suggests that the child undergo a classic operation.
The procedure is scheduled for August 1. Her father dropped her off the evening before the operation at the Brest University Hospital. The next day, her mother goes to the hospital, Lilou is fine. Then the little girl is taken to the operating room.
• How does the operation take place?
The operation begins around 10 a.m. on August 1st. According to the child’s family lawyer, little Lilou was intubated around 10:30 a.m. for anesthesia. It is an intern who carries out the procedure from start to finish. But an hour later, the medical team noticed purplish marks around the patient’s neck and on the chest. Lilou coughs a lot.
“Tracheal perforations can happen, it is a therapeutic hazard, but it is especially in the aftermath where there seems to be a situation that is not well taken into account,” deplores Me Vincent Sehier, the lawyer for the family of Lilou.
Around noon, she was taken to the scanner. The examination shows that the child has air in her lungs and that she is suffering from two pneumothoraxes, that is to say that her lungs are contracted and that they no longer take in oxygen. She was quickly transferred to the intensive care unit.
In the afternoon, an ENT and then two pediatricians examined him. They are reassuring to Lilou’s parents. The girl is sedated but should wake up within two to seven days. It was only in the evening, at 9:55 p.m., that a blood test was taken: it showed that the child’s organs were in pain. It needs to be operated on.
The intervention is scheduled for 5 a.m. the next day, according to the girl’s family. The next morning, during the medical examination, the doctors found that Lilou was brain dead. She died on August 3.
“The situation was largely salvageable despite the perforation,” maintains the lawyer.
• How is the investigation carried out?
Lilou’s parents filed a complaint against the hospital. The Brest public prosecutor’s office has since opened a preliminary investigation for “involuntary manslaughter”. The investigations were entrusted to the Finistère departmental security. For the moment, no party has been heard.
Lilou’s parents refused to have an autopsy carried out at the CHRU. “We have this feeling that there are things that are trying to be hidden,” adds the lawyer, assuring that in cases like this “there are systematically missing documents in the files”.
A forensic examination was ordered by the Brest prosecutor’s office. Other medical assessments have also been requested and are scheduled.
• What is the CHRU’s reaction?
Lilou’s family says they were received by the management of the establishment, who did not provide any explanations regarding the care of the child. Me Vincent Sehier protests in particular against the lack of transparency of the Brest CHRU. “The hospital recognizes errors but not mistakes,” he explains.
Contacted by local newspapers, the establishment presented “all its condolences to the young girl’s family” and declared that it “shared the grief” of the parents.