David Flynn, an unfortunate two-year-old boy, died after undergoing a botched circumcision at the Gosnells Medical Clinic. The event has understandably generated significant alarm about the oversight and safety standards related to procedural sedation in small children. David’s death, attributed to a morphine overdose, has been labeled as preventable by a coroner’s inquiry.
The morning of the surgery, David was given morphine for sedation. Even though her son was heavily sedated, Alice Flynn decided to take him home after his discharge. She was joined by her husband’s brother Joseph, who had also received the same surgery. By noon just hours later, Alice discovered David unresponsive and cold to the touch in their home.
Overview of the Incident
David Flynn, as an example, was a normal, healthy, happy child, with no history of pre-existing conditions. His unexpected passing on the night of the surgery devastated the family and community. After undergoing circumcision, David was declared dead at 8:03 PM, with the inquiry revealing that he never woke up from the sedation.
Coroner Hartley identified a need for proper levels of monitoring both during and following procedural sedation, particularly for children. Our investigation found that David’s death was completely preventable. Had Dr. Raad Hassan not acted carelessly and recklessly, David’s life could have been spared.
“David was a much-loved child taken from his family in devastating circumstances.” – Coroner Hartley
These results from the investigation highlight the need to ensure safe patient conditions for procedures with patients who undergo sedation. Hartley further stressed that procedural sedation in children is dangerous and poses known hazards, which can be overcome through adherence to safety standards.
Family and Community Support
David’s family has been overwhelmed by the support of their Zambian community, especially through their church, during this hard time. This outpouring of support has been an instrumental part in allowing them to start the process of healing from their unimaginable loss. Noor Blumer, an attorney who represented the Flynn family at the coronial inquest, described their integrity and deep commitment to justice.
“They are a very committed Christian family and they are not the kind of people that are vindictive or out to get anybody.” – Noor Blumer
The Flynn family has always lived with an acute sadness, particularly for the fact that David would never know his younger sister ever. They still work to make every medical circumcision safer so that no other family has to experience the tragedy that they did.
Recommendations for Future Practices
The investigation into David’s death highlighted a lack of protocols around circumcision procedures. Blumer expressed the family’s desire to see good things come out of this tragedy.
“I don’t think there’s a good outcome for them, but I think the best outcome will be if there could be an improvement in practices when making circumcisions available.” – Noor Blumer
Blumer emphasized the importance of accessibility for families choosing circumcision for their children, advocating for safe conditions regardless of religious or personal reasons.
“It’s really important that circumcision is something that is available to people that want to do it for whatever reasons [religious or otherwise] for their children, in safe circumstances.” – Noor Blumer
Yet the coroner’s report found that Dr. Hassan, a well-respected physician, did not meet the standards of his profession during David’s procedure. Though he conceded that Dr. Hassan’s oversights were unintentional, Hartley insisted that these oversights led to disaster.
“Dr Hassan failed in his professional duty to take the necessary measures to ensure David’s safety. His oversights were inadvertent and he has acknowledged his shortfalls and expressed deep remorse for the catastrophic consequences.” – Coroner Hartley
