Toddler’s brain damage: Health department hands over medical negligence case against hospital to Karnataka medical board

The toddler is unresponsive to verbal commands and has lost his vision. | Image to illustrate | Photo credit: Florin Patrunjel

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

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

Failures in the administration of anesthesia

A detailed inquiry conducted by an expert medical committee — comprising Raghunath M. (anaesthetist) and Nagaraj (pediatrician) of the government’s Sira CV Ramana General Hospital — said that critical errors had occurred during the administration of anaesthesia.

According to the technical committee report submitted by the doctors to the KMC, the operating theater was adequately equipped but the attending anesthetist “was not well trained to administer anesthesia to young children”.

The report describes how the blackout led to a sharp drop in oxygen levels, and states that the doctor attempted to intubate the child without a cuff, leading to hypoxia, bradycardia and eventual cardiac arrest.

While hospital logs claimed the cardiac arrest was reversed within seven minutes, the expert panel said in a report that brain hypoxia persists for 15 to 20 minutes and causes severe, irreversible brain damage. An MRI scan performed three days later confirmed partial prolonged hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.

Current status and recommendations

After initial resuscitation, the toddler was shifted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Cloudnine Hospital in Jayanagar, where advanced critical care is provided.

Clinical evaluation conducted by Dr. Nagaraju noted that while the child was weaned from mechanical ventilation and is currently hemodynamically stable, he suffers from profound neurological sequelae. The toddler remains unresponsive to verbal commands, has lost vision, exhibits a decerebrate posture, and is dependent on Ryle’s tube feedings. It requires permanent multidisciplinary care.

During the hearing held on October 8, the DHO and the KPME office reviewed the findings of the expert panel and the parents’ submissions. The Bengaluru Urban DHO formally handed over the case files to the KMC president for disciplinary action and further action, noting that the findings of the medical board expressly indicated prima facie medical negligence.

Published – 13 October 2026 23:05 IST