AIDA LO wants to be able to grieve properly for her little girl Nathalie but can’t.
Nathalie is one of the four babies who died at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford – leading to last week’s suspension of cardiac surgery for children.
Yesterday Mrs Lo, 29, of Balfour Road, Oxford, spoke of her heartache at Nathalie’s death and demanded to know from the hospital whether the 23-day-old baby’s death could have been avoided.
On Wednesday, the JR suspended all heart surgery on children following the deaths of four children in 10 weeks.
Surgeon Caner Salih, who was in charge of all four operations, had already resigned to move to Guy’s and St Thomas Foundation Trust in London before the JR issue was made public.
Mrs Lo said: “I have tried to move on from my daughter’s death, but this new information has brought everything back. I’m heartbroken.
“I want answers from the John Radcliffe.
“They have told us nothing about why our daughter died.
“Until we get the information we are entitled to then we cannot start grieving for Nathalie.”
Mrs Lo and husband Zelio Li, 30, are calling for a full inquiry into Nathalie’s death.
She said: “I am so sad to hear of the other deaths and you wonder if her death could have been avoided. Why has it happened four times?
“I believed Nathalie was in good hands and we were told there was only a five per cent risk of the operation going wrong. It doesn’t make sense.”
The couple moved to Oxford from East Timor, in South-East Asia, in 2004.
Nathalie weighed a healthy 7lb 4oz when she was born on November 29, but had a heart condition.
Mr Salih, 39, operated on her on December 21, to resolve a heart defect, in a bid to improve bloodflow between her heart and lungs.
Just half an hour after the operation, Nathalie was rushed back to theatre for further heart surgery.
Her condition became critical and she died the next day.
Mrs Lo, who has a five-year-old son Lio, said: “Nathalie was a beautiful little girl and we all miss her very much.”
The JR refused to be drawn on the cause of the four deaths until outside experts have investigated the circumstances, but bosses say all four infants were “very sick” before their operations.
The hospital said there was no suggestion of foul play or negligence, and the deaths could be a statistical anomaly.
However, all child heart operations have been suspended until an investigation by the Strategic Health Authority and the Care Quality Commission has been completed.
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