Third baby linked to hospital gas mix-up
A third baby has been linked to the ongoing gas mix-up scandal at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.
The revelation comes following the death of baby John Ghanem on July 13 and critical injuries to another baby girl in June.
The third newborn had to be resuscitated at the hospital in January 2014, when an oxygen bottle ran out in a birthing suite.
In a statement this morning, the hospital said the baby had survived the incident.
"In January 2014 a baby was delivered in the birthing unit at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital who required resuscitation," the hospital said.
"During resuscitation the oxygen cylinder emptied and staff transferred the baby to the Special Care Nursery to ensure ongoing oxygen supply for the resuscitation."
Following an investigation into the birth, the hospital reportedly installed outlets in the birthing unit to provide a constant oxygen supply.
A recent mix-up between the internal gas lines of oxygen and nitrous oxide is believed to have caused the death of baby John and serious brain injuries to the second baby.
Baby John was fatally administered with nitrous oxide gas at the hospital, instead of oxygen.
His mother Sonya Ghanem said the error has “destroyed” her family.
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Mrs Ghanem delivered her baby boy by caesarean earlier this month but when she asked to see her son, staff at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital told her the little boy didn’t make it.
Mrs Ghanem and her husband Youseff had to leave the hospital without their son, and only found out weeks later he and another newborn were given nitrous oxide instead of oxygen in a hospital bungle.
The second baby was also given the laughing gas two weeks earlier and suffered a catastrophic brain injury.
But no one noticed the mix up until last Thursday when a paediatrician raised the alarm.
In that time, the two babies had been administered the incorrect gas with disastrous results.
7News understands the girl has been released from hospital but has been left seriously disabled and needing home care from a team of doctors and nurses.
“I’m just feeling very hurt. Very hurt with all of this,” Ms Ghanem said.
“They said ‘Your baby didn’t make it. Your baby had died’.”
NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner has come under fire over the handling of the case, attending the theatre just hours after issuing an apology to the families involved.
NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said she would not resign over the error.
"I will not be resigning," Ms Skinner told reporters this morning.
Private company BOC, which installed the gas in July 2015, says it is conducting a full internal inquiry.
