Teen dies following MRI scan because doctors missed medical condition

A schoolgirl died following a routine MRI scan after doctors missed a dangerous medical condition, an inquest heard.

Alice Sloman, 14, passed away from heart failure days after being anesthetized for the procedure.

The inquest into the youngster’s death heard she had a condition that made her heart twice as big as normal, which doctors failed to check.

Alice was given a dose of general anesthetic to help with anxiety before the scan in October 2018 to investigate headaches. But she was rushed to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children after getting into difficulty during the MRI.

Alice’s parents said they had repeatedly complained to doctors about a range of symptoms, including breathlessness.

She then died three days later, with a coroner saying decisions not to check all of her conditions led to her “dying unexpectedly and prematurely.”

Returning a narrative verdict yesterday, coroner Dr. Simon Fox, QC, said the cause of her death was because “medical management was lacking”.

He said four medical causes contributed to Alice’s death — mitochondrial disease, multiple organ failure, myocardial fibrosis and heart failure during the anesthetic.

Alice also had autism, was visually impaired and struggled with hypermobility.

Following her death, her mom and dad, Sarah and Nathan, have set up a campaign to change procedures and enforce heart checks.

Giving evidence at the inquest at Avon Coroner’s Court previously, Sarah relived the moment she was told her daughter was going to die.

“They took us in a room and told us there’s nothing they can do for her — she’s going to die. We said we didn’t have time to digest this. It had been nine hours since she was playing Lego cards with me, then you get told she’s going to die. I asked them please, just try something to bring her back,” she said.

“She went into hospital singing, laughing and being funny and then didn’t come home.

“It’s like waking up to a nightmare every single day. Being Alice’s full-time carer I am completely lost.”