A doctor who cared for a one-year-old baby on the night he died of a rare heart condition treated his parents like they “did not exist”, an inquest heard.
Archie Squire died from heart failure in the early hours of November 23 2023 after successive cardiac arrests just days after his first birthday.
His parents made repeated visits to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, Kent, with concerns about Archie’s breathing and constipation, which did not lead to a long-term diagnosis.
On Wednesday, Doctor Ravindra Kumar, a paediatric registrar at QEQM responsible for Archie on the night he died, broke down in tears in court describing how his work has changed since Archie’s death.
Asked what he would do differently, Dr Kumar said: “I regret talking about Archie’s condition in front of the family to others, to my colleagues, I learned a big lesson to be more compassionate.”
Wiping tears from his eyes, he told the court: “We discussed the child’s condition in a manner as if parents did not exist in the room.”
Medical records and Dr Kumar’s witness statement suggest he did not see Archie between 9.30pm and 1am on the night he died, the inquest heard.
On Wednesday at Kent and Medway Coroners Court in Maidstone, the doctor said that this was incorrect.
“I do not recall that I only saw this very sick child only at 9pm to 1am, this is wrong,” said Dr Kumar.
He told Emily Raynor, counsel on behalf of the family, that he could not recall why he had not recorded visits to Archie between those hours.
“It isn’t in your witness statement and it isn’t in your medical records,” said Ms Raynor.
Dr Kumar replied: “I have clear recollection that I examined the child.”
Photos and videos of Archie taken by his family from the night in hospital leading up to his death were shown in court to demonstrate his condition.
Dr Kumar told the court that these “snapshots” did not show whether his condition was deteriorating.
He said: “Giving a snapshot of a child does not give justice to clinical management, what we are seeing are snapshots.
“I can’t decide on that snapshot of video whether he was sleepy or unwell. It’s not fair to comment on the clinical picture.”
He admitted that his case writing could have been more methodical, but said that he had followed proper procedure for Archie’s care.
“You cannot judge a child’s condition by looking at photographs, you have to look at the whole picture.” said Dr Kumar.
The inquest continues.
