Lu Teng, whose baby boy died after receiving emergency surgery at Winnipeg’s Children’s Hospital, said he used to trust the health-care system with everything.
Now, he believes that the system failed his family.
In mid-January, Lu brought Luca to the hospital’s emergency department, thinking it was the best place to get his son the care he needed.
About 10 hours later, Luca was taken into the operating room; he did not survive the surgery.
Born With a Health Condition
Luca was born last July with esophageal atresia, a condition where the esophagus is not properly connected to the stomach.
When he was just two days old, he underwent a complicated surgery to correct the issue; the procedure was successful.
He’d gone through it seven times already, and everything had gone smoothly each time.
This time, however, something seemed off.
After the procedure, his parents tried to feed him, but he started choking.
Lu quickly told a nurse that something wasn’t right. Despite that, they were discharged and sent home.
Rushed Back to the Hospital
Once home, they attempted to feed Luca again, but the choking didn’t stop. He kept coughing and did not have any bowel movements.
Sensing that something was wrong, his parents rushed him back to the hospital around 6 p.m.
They waited about half an hour before Lu asked staff whether it was okay to feed Luca again; they were told yes.
About an hour later, doctors performed an X-ray, which showed a tear in Luca’s esophagus.
Dr. Sherif Emil, a pediatric surgeon who was not involved in Luca’s treatment, explained that an esophageal rupture is the primary risk associated with dilation. However, he pointed out that in most cases, the tear can heal on its own.
At first, Lu was not too worried about the perforation since Luca was already in the hospital and surrounded by medical staff.
But as the hours passed and his son continued crying in the emergency room, he became more and more anxious.
Around 4 a.m., doctors rushed the six-month-old into emergency surgery and placed tubes in his chest.
Later, a surgeon approached Lu and asked for permission to open Luca’s chest in a final attempt to save him.
Despite their efforts, Luca did not survive.
Now, Lu says he is left with overwhelming guilt for putting his trust in the hospital.
Luca’s death marks at least the third time in three months that a patient has died following a long wait for care at a Winnipeg hospital. The province has confirmed that each of the deaths is being investigated as a critical incident.
