Kasaragod: A nine-year-old boy died after suffering two cardiac arrests during surgery for umbilical sinus at the Government General Hospital in Kasaragod on Wednesday. His family has alleged medical negligence and demanded an investigation into the incident.

Hospital officials, however, said the boy died due to "accepted" complications associated with anaesthesia.
The deceased has been identified as Muhammed Iyas (9), son of Bushra and Ashraf Sakhafi, a madrasa teacher at Maruthadakkam in Thalekkunnu in Bedadka grama panchayat.

Iyas was a Class IV student of the Government Higher Secondary School at Kundamkuzhi. He is survived by his parents and siblings, Hisham and Ismath.

Kasaagod town police have registered a case for unnatural death and sent the body for autopsy to Kannur Government Medical College Hospital at Pariyaram. The parents have given a statement to the police alleging that the boy died because of medical negligence during the surgery. When contacted, the family said there was persistent discharge from the boy's navel, but he had no pain.

Three months ago, doctors at the Government General Hospital diagnosed the boy with an umbilical sinus, a condition involving a small abnormal tract near the navel. They scheduled the surgery for Wednesday, telling the family that although the condition did not require emergency intervention, the procedure was recommended to prevent future complications. "The boy went to school till Monday and got admitted to the hospital on Tuesday," said a relative.

He was wheeled into the operating theatre on Wednesday morning. General Hospital Superintendent Dr Jithesh V said the umbilical sinus surgery was a routine, uncomplicated procedure that lasts for just 15 to 20 minutes. "After the surgery, while the surgeon was stapling the incision, the boy suffered a cardiac arrest," the superintendent said.

Doctors immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and revived him, Dr Jithesh said. However, the boy soon suffered a second cardiac arrest and developed pulmonary oedema, a condition in which fluid accumulates in the lungs, making it difficult for the body to receive enough oxygen. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts, he could not be revived, he said.

The superintendent said that cardiac arrest was a rare but "acceptable" complication of anaesthesia. "Though it was acceptable, it was unexpected in this case because the child was doing fine," he said. The superintendent said the child had been administered spinal anaesthesia, which numbs the body below the abdomen during surgery.

The family alleged that they were kept in the dark about the boy's cardiac arrest and were informed only after his death. The superintendent acknowledged this but said the doctors were fully occupied trying to save the child's life. "The doctors fought for nearly an hour to revive him. They succeeded the first time, but not after the second cardiac arrest," he said.

Following the boy's death, emotional scenes unfolded at the hospital as relatives and residents gathered around the parents.

Iyas's death comes just five days after the death of 18-month-old Devansh Shouria of Mathamangalam in Eramam-Kuttoor, near Payyannur. The toddler was administered general anaesthesia at Baby Memorial Hospital, Payyannur, to stitch a 1-cm superficial wound on his lip. He never regained consciousness after that and died five days later, on July 10. In that case, Payyannur police have registered a case of medical negligence against the anaesthetist, Dr Anjali Poduva, the surgeon, and the hospital management.