5 days ago
'Missed opportunities' to prevent baby's death
A baby boy "almost certainly would not have died when he did" if his rare heart condition had been diagnosed, an inquest has found.
Archie Squire suffered heart failure just days after his first birthday and died in November 2023 after more than 10 visits to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate.
Sarah Clarke, area coroner for North East Kent, concluded that there was "no doubt" that an earlier diagnosis of a congenital heart defect would have "altered the outcome" of his care.
Tracey Fletcher, chief executive of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKH) said it was "truly sorry that we did not identify Archie's condition earlier".
Ms Clarke also echoed a report by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, which highlighted "missed opportunities" that could have prevented his death.
Delivering her conclusion, Ms Clarke recorded Archie's cause of death as heart failure and congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA).
Ms Clarke added: "There is no doubt that earlier recognition and diagnosis of Archie's underlying heart condition would have altered the outcome.
"I am not saying what that outcome would have been. He almost certainly would not have died when he did."
New and more robust systems had been put in place by the trust since Archie's death, Ms Clarke added.
Speaking directly to Archie's family, Ms Clarke praised them as an "absolute credit to each other".
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'Baby Archie's life was heartbreakingly short'
Baby showed 'no clinical signs of heart failure'
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
