Family âhauntedâ after son, 4, dies from sepsis
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The parents of a four-year-old boy who died of sepsis have said his death will âhauntâ them forever.
Daniel Klosi died at the Royal Free Hospital in Camden, north London, on 2 April 2023, after being taken there four times in a week.
His mother Lindita Alushi and father Kastriot Klosi, from Kentish Town, urged parents to âtake it very seriouslyâ if they saw a sudden decline in their childâs health.
Their son was âprobablyâ septic when he was seen by medical staff in the hours before he died, an inquest at East London Coronerâs Court heard earlier this month.
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The inquest heard that while doctors missed a sepsis diagnosis for Daniel, the trust was not neglectful in its care.
Sepsis is when the bodyâs immune system overreacts to an infection and starts attacking its own tissues and organs.
âWeâll always remain devastated by Danielâs death and how when he needed help the most he was let down,â Ms Alushi and Mr Klosi said in a statement.
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âTo lose Daniel in the way we did will haunt us forever,â they said.
âHe was our beloved boy and for him to be taken away so suddenly and cruelly is something weâll never get over.
âThereâs not a day goes by when we donât think of him and itâs difficult not to think how he should be at home with us.â
âCould it be sepsis?â
Ms Alushi urged parents who witness a âsudden changeâ in their childâs health, including ânot eating, not drinking, not sleeping well, not playingâ to âtake it very seriouslyâ and go to hospital.
She added that parents should ask doctors the question: âCould it be sepsis?â
Ms Alushi added that Danielâs death has âaffected everythingâ.
âOurselves as people, weâve changed,â she said. âWeâre not the same.â
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âUnanswered questionsâ
The family said they have had âso many unanswered questionsâ and âremain upset at the Hospital Trustâ.
Danielâs parents took him to the hospital four times in a week, including twice in one day.
The inquest heard that Daniel, who was autistic, came in with an âatypical presentation of sepsisâ and there was a âlack of understandingâ by medical staff of how to view the needs of a neurodivergent child.
During separate visits, staff at the north London hospital âmissed or made incomplete medical checksâ, the inquest was also told.
A Royal Free London spokesperson said they were âdeeply sorryâ that Daniel died while under their care.
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On his fourth visit, Daniel had sunken eyes, cracked lips, looked likely to be severely dehydrated, had abdominal pain and was âquite restless and appeared in distressâ, the inquest heard.
âWeâd give anything to have Daniel back in our lives â we miss his love and enthusiasm so much â but we know that canât happen,â Ms Alushi and Mr Klosi said.
âAll we can hope for now is that no other family has to go through what we have.â
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A Royal Free London spokesperson said: âThis is a desperately sad case and we are deeply sorry that Daniel died while under our care.
âWe would like to share our heartfelt condolences with his family and loved ones.
âFollowing a thorough investigation, we identified a number of areas for improvement, and measures were taken to immediately address these.â
These included improving staff training in relation to children who repeatedly visit the emergency departments, how the trust cares for children with learning disabilities, and the importance of listening to parentsâ concerns, they said.
âWe take the coronerâs findings seriously and will carefully review all the issues identified to try to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again,â they added.
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