Record number of children die
A total of 11 children, including eight under the age of one, died over the weekend at the Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital in Santo Domingo where they were patients. According to hospital staff, their deaths were caused by problems with the oxygen system.
Authorities at the hospital say the children were all in a critical condition but staff working over the weekend said that the integrated oxygen system broke down, and two of the elevators were not working which meant it was difficult to move oxygen tanks into the patients' rooms. Two of the deaths occurred on Friday 3, four on Saturday 4, and five on Sunday 5 October 2014. Three were newborns, five were under a year old and three over a year old. Most were in the intensive care unit and the others in the neonatal unit.
According to medical staff, they usually have four or five deaths each weekend and very occasionally seven, but this weekend the number was higher than usual.
They said that they have had an integrated oxygen system for a while, but the downside was that the younger residents do not know how to use the manual system and change tanks which causes a problem if it breaks down.
Hospital director Rosa Nieves Paulino said that the hospital treats very sick children and it could not be said that the weekend deaths were due to a lack of oxygen as patients with breathing problems would have been given immediate manual ventilation. However, each case would be investigated, she said.
Five of the children were from Santo Domingo and the rest from San Cristobal, Samana, Peravia, San Pedro de Macoris, Azua and Elias Pina.
Fallecen 11 ni?os el fin de semana en el Robert Reid - listindiario.com
A total of 11 children, including eight under the age of one, died over the weekend at the Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital in Santo Domingo where they were patients. According to hospital staff, their deaths were caused by problems with the oxygen system.
Authorities at the hospital say the children were all in a critical condition but staff working over the weekend said that the integrated oxygen system broke down, and two of the elevators were not working which meant it was difficult to move oxygen tanks into the patients' rooms. Two of the deaths occurred on Friday 3, four on Saturday 4, and five on Sunday 5 October 2014. Three were newborns, five were under a year old and three over a year old. Most were in the intensive care unit and the others in the neonatal unit.
According to medical staff, they usually have four or five deaths each weekend and very occasionally seven, but this weekend the number was higher than usual.
They said that they have had an integrated oxygen system for a while, but the downside was that the younger residents do not know how to use the manual system and change tanks which causes a problem if it breaks down.
Hospital director Rosa Nieves Paulino said that the hospital treats very sick children and it could not be said that the weekend deaths were due to a lack of oxygen as patients with breathing problems would have been given immediate manual ventilation. However, each case would be investigated, she said.
Five of the children were from Santo Domingo and the rest from San Cristobal, Samana, Peravia, San Pedro de Macoris, Azua and Elias Pina.
Fallecen 11 ni?os el fin de semana en el Robert Reid - listindiario.com