Nurse accused of killing a 7-year-old boy who died after his breathing monitor was turned off for more than TWO HOURS
- James Dwerryhouse died after his monitor was turned off after surgery
- Nurse Anuradha Bhupathiraju, 62, is charged with manslaughter
A nurse appeared in court accused of killing a seven-year-old boy at Britain’s largest private children’s hospital.
Anuradha Bhupathiraju, 62, is charged with gross negligence manslaughter in the death of James Dwerryhouse, whose sleeping gear was allegedly left out for nearly three hours. She died of a catastrophic brain injury.
The nurse has now appeared before Westminster magistrates on charges of causing James’ death by leaving his monitor switched off without a doctor’s permission.
James Dwerryhouse, 7, (pictured) died after his monitor was turned off at Portland Hospital in London.
The boy, who suffered from numerous health conditions which meant he had to be fed through a tube, had been in hospital for a routine bowel operation.
Because he suffered from sleep apnea, which can cause life-threatening respiratory arrest, he was connected to a team that alerted doctors to any deterioration in his breathing while he slept.
But vital equipment was allegedly removed during the early hours of the morning.
His father, John, told his son’s investigation that after recovering from surgery on the morning of August 25, 2016, his son was energetic and sitting up on his bed playing with his Playmobil figures.
Dwerryhouse said he then received a call around 4:20 a.m. to say that James was not well and that he and his wife Marguerite needed to go to the hospital immediately.
When the couple arrived, their son’s eyes were half closed, he was covered in a rash and his dilated pupils indicated he was brain dead, Dwerryhouse said.
James Dwerryhouse, 7, (pictured) died of brain injury as a result of sleep apnea following surgery on the morning of August 25, 2016.
Anuradha Bhupathiraju, 62, a nurse at Portland Hospital, is charged with manslaughter
James was transferred to Treehouse Hospice in his hometown of Ipswich, where he died on August 28.
His research in 2017 recorded a verdict of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury as a result of sleep apnea.
Bhupathiraju, a nurse with more than three decades of experience, spoke in court on Tuesday only to confirm her name, date of birth and address.
Chief District Judge Paul Goldspring bailed her out ahead of a plea hearing at Southwark Crown Court next month. She is prohibited from leaving the UK and must hand over her passport to the police.