Claims about a mother who poisoned her young son with dirt while he was a patient in a Sydney hospital are “completely baseless” and his blood appears to have been inadvertently contaminated, a court has heard.
The mother, who cannot be named, is facing a special hearing at Downing Center District Court on charges that she deliberately sent the nine-year-old boy through his canal in 2014.
Prosecutors allege she inserted toothpaste into his IV drip while he was being treated for severe asthma at Westmead Children’s Hospital at some point during his stay. nearly six weeks in September and October of that year.
The boy became very ill, with fever, delirium and cruelty. A sample of his blood culture taken in late September 2014 was positive for E coli.
The Crown is responsible for that sample and evidence from nursing staff heard that the boy accused his mother of putting “something in my canal” while they were responding to a medical emergency.
His mother, 39, is denying the allegations and the court heard on Monday that nurses had noticed she was “duly concerned” at news of the outbreak.
Defense attorney Pauline David grouted the parent of child protection unit Grace Wong, who works at the hospital, about why she did not request independent reports, outside when she investigate what happened.
Ms David asked if there was a “conflict of interest” in Dr Wong basing her probe on reports from her colleagues at the hospital when there was a chance that a worker was at fault for the disease.
“Isn’t that something that should sound a warning bell saying, ‘Hey maybe this is our fault? The boiler for our hospital? ‘”She said.
Ms David told the court that medical notes showed that when nurses took the positive blood sample for E coli – bacteria found in the lower abdomen – the boy was “incompetent, incontinent and trying to bite nursing staff ”.
She asked Dr Wong if he should have been “deeply afraid” that the sample could be contaminated in the conflict.
“It was my opinion that it was not possible at all,” said Dr Wong.
Ms David told the doctor “it was very likely” that the sample had been contaminated, saying the mother was “a completely baseless claim” that she had inserted a case of faeces in a drip. sons with “no medical evidence to support him”.
“I do not agree with that,” replied Dr Wong.
Dr Wong also denied that E coli could have entered the boy’s body through an associated cannula injury to his arm “unless dirt had been put under the clothes”.
Medical notes read to the court showed the child screaming about his mother poisoning him, but the next day they accused nurses of trying to poison him.
The court heard that while the boy stayed on, doctors had to devise a plan to eliminate steroids being used to treat his asthma.
Dr Andrew Biggin, a pediatric endocrinologist, was asked by Ms David whether premature withdrawal from steroids could cause a patient to suffer from adrenal insufficiency.
Ms David read a list of signs of adrenal insufficiency, which included fever, convulsions, vomiting, abdominal pain and others that the boy was observed while there.
She asked if someone suffering from that condition could develop behavioral disorders or even a depressive event.
Dr. Biggin said these symptoms were consistent with adrenal insufficiency and agreed that it was possible for someone to suffer from behavioral or psychiatric side effects.
Procurator Fiscal Lou Lungo asked Dr Biggin, who dealt with the boy, whether he observed these side effects while the boy was living.
“Not at all,” replied the doctor.
The hearing continues.