Post mortem on Almeria baby finds ‘death caused by heart injuries during surgery’

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The baby underwent several operations at Malaga’s Children and Maternity Hospital CREDIT: Google maps

A FOUR-MONTH-OLD baby born in Almeria who died after a heart operation did so due to injuries caused in surgery, post mortem results have found.

Malaga’s Court of Instruction Number Seven has been investigating whether the girl died due to medical malpractice.

Specialists working on the post mortem said one of her heart valves was damaged during an operation. The injury caused one valve to leak and led to the four-month-old undergoing three more operations.

A spokesperson for the four-month-old’s family said their lawyer had asked for a specialist from the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Science to be sent in.

The family are seeking clarification on to what extent the death was caused by her pre-existing condition or by doctor’s choosing the wrong type of surgery, the spokesperson added.

The girl was born in May last year and within days doctors diagnosed her with a heart valve condition.

Surgeons at Malaga’s Children and Maternity Hospital operated on her in June. They performed a valvuloplasty which attempted to widen the value.

Another of her heart valves was injured during the procedure causing blood to leak the wrong way through it, according to the post mortem results.

The girl was then operated on three further times included for valve repair, implants and a pacemaker.

The post mortem results concluded the girl died from a multiple organ failure which happened as a result of complications in the surgery.

The family’s spokesperson said they wanted forensic specialists to determine if there was medical malpractice during the operation which saw a catheter tube inserted into the girl’s heart. The case continues.