An inquest heard that a 17-year-old boy who died from an undetected heart ailment that caused his heart rate to spike was not seen by a cardiologist when he went to A&E.
Relatives of Christian Hobbs, who was described as “very fit,” admitted him to Peterborough City Hospital on Christmas Day 2017 after his heart rate reached 240 beats per minute, which is three times the normal rate.
The student, a boarder at the £40,000-per-year Rugby School in Warwickshire, was brought to the hospital but eventually died.
James Christie, the teenager’s grandfather, stated yesterday at an inquest investigating the teen’s death that doctors confirmed there was no cardiologist on the ward at the time of the incident.
On Christmas Eve 2017 with his parents Casper and Louise and younger sister Isobel, Christian reported feeling poorly with flu-like symptoms.
The following day, Mr. Christie, who was staying with his family at the time, reported that Christian was “morbidly pale” and that his heart rate had accelerated.
The child’s heart rate was 240 beats per minute. Adults typically have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Even during intensive exercise, a person’s heart rate should not surpass 200, according to medical professionals.
Mr. Christie stated that despite his grandson’s heart rate, there was hardly a pulse perceptible in his wrist and his fingers had “almost no circulation.”
The parents of Christian then transported him to the hospital in their automobile.
At A&E, he was diagnosed with sepsis and required at least one resuscitation.
Mr. Christie, a retired consultant surgeon in orthopedic trauma, spoke before senior coroner David Heming in Peterborough Town Hall on the first day of a two-week inquest.
One month after his grandson’s death, BBC Christie reportedly attended a meeting at the hospital with the A&E critical care consultant who treated Christian.
Mr. Christie stated, “She stated that there was no cardiologist on the ward [during Christian’s admission].”
That was a bit of a jaw-dropper for me. I had to attempt to process that in my thoughts.
I found it incredible that a huge hospital like Peterborough City Hospital did not have a cardiologist on call.
I believed that a pulse rate of 240 bpm, cardiac output, and absence of radial pulse would draw cardiologists from throughout the nation.
Edward Ramsay, a lawyer representing Christian’s family, stated that the hospital had not produced any data from the ECG, a recording of the heart’s activity.
He requested the coroner to visit the hospital and “question the records.”
The inquest, which will conclude later this month, will investigate if the hospital contacted the Royal Papworth Hospital’s specialized cardiac unit.
The investigation will also examine the training in place at Peterborough City Hospital and any communication breakdowns.
Mr. Christie described his grandson as an “absolutely wonderful” and “very fit” adolescent who “adored boxing.”
Since the age of 14, he had been attending the Heart of England Community Boxing Club in Hinkley, Leicestershire, three times each week.
Friends and family of Christian are raising funds for the Heart of England Community Boxing Club, which had to vacate its previous location, to establish a new gym named the Christian Hobbs Gym, Home of Heart of England Community Boxing Club.
