Indore: 5-year-old wrongly given nitrous oxide instead of oxygen, dies

Indore: A five-year-old boy died and an infant patient's condition turned critical after the overhead masks they were given supplied anesthetic agent instead of oxygen at the city's government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital, officials said.

"Ayush died during Hernia surgery on May 27, while Rajveer (1) turned critical while being operated for a deformity on May 28, in the hospital's recently inaugurated operation theatre," Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital acting Superintendent Dr Sumit Shukla said.

Rajveer is being treated at the hospital's paediatric ICU ward and his condition is critical, he said.

As per investigation, the pipeline that was supposed to supply oxygen to patients was carrying nitrous oxide, he said.

The operation theatre, which was inaugurated on May 24, has been sealed, he said.

A technician from a private company, Rajendra Choudhary, who was responsible for fitting the gas supply pipeline, has been booked for manslaughter, he said.

Activist Chinmay Mishra of Swasthya Adhikar Manch, an NGO, said it was baffling that the hospital management lodged FIR against Chaudhary, and not against the doctor and other staffers of the hospital, and demanded immediate suspension of the facility's Superintendent.