Brain damage to toddler: Health Department refers medical negligence case against hospital to Karnataka Medical Council

In a case of alleged medical negligence involving a 14-month-old boy who suffered brain damage following routine ear surgery, the Bengaluru Urban District Health Officer (DHO) and the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Grievance Redressal Authority have officially referred the matter to the Karnataka Medical Council (KMC) for an inquiry and report.

The decision follows a complaint lodged by Sampath Kumar K.P., whose son was taken to Cloudnine Hospital, Nagarabhavi, on July 26, 2026, for emergency surgical repair of a full-thickness ear laceration. During the procedure, the toddler suffered a cardiac arrest in the operation theatre and subsequently sustained severe brain injury due to lack of oxygen.

Lapses in anesthesia administration 

A detailed inquiry conducted by an expert medical panel — comprising Raghunatha M. (anaesthesiologist) and Nagaraju (paediatrician) from the State-run Sir C.V. Raman General Hospital — said there were critical lapses during the administration of anesthesia.

According to the technical committee’s report submitted by doctors to the KMC, the operating room was satisfactorily equipped, but the attending anesthesiologist was “not well trained to administer anaesthesia for small children”.

Describing how the lapse led to oxygen levels plummetting, the report states that the doctor attempted to intubate the child with an uncuffed tube, leading to hypoxia, bradycardia, and eventual cardiac arrest.

While hospital logs claimed cardiac arrest was reversed within seven minutes, the expert committee stated in the report that brain hypoxia persisted for 15 to 20 minutes, causing severe, irreversible brain damage. An MRI scan performed three days later confirmed partial prolonged hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury.

Current condition and referral

Following initial resuscitation, the toddler was transferred to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Cloudnine Hospital, Jayanagar, for advanced critical care.

The clinical evaluation conducted by Dr. Nagaraju noted that while the child has been weaned off mechanical ventilation and is currently hemodynamically stable, he suffers from profound neurological sequelae. The toddler remains unresponsive to verbal commands, has lost his sight, exhibits decerebrate posturing, and is dependent on Ryle’s tube feeding. He requires ongoing multidisciplinary care.

During the hearing held on October 8, the DHO and KPME Authority reviewed the expert panel’s findings and the parents’ submission. Noting that the medical panel’s findings explicitly indicate prima facie medical negligence, the Bengaluru Urban DHO, formally transferred the case files to the KMC president on October 12, for disciplinary proceedings and further action.