Tragic Death of 'Magical Little Princess' After Routine Operation
A five-year-old girl described by her heartbroken parents as their "magical little princess" died just four days after undergoing what should have been routine tonsil surgery, a coroner's court has heard.
Amber Milnes, from St Just in Roseland, Cornwall, passed away on 9th April 2023 following a procedure at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro intended to treat her sleep apnoea.
Hospital Discharge Against Parents' Wishes
Amber's parents, Lewis and Sereta Milnes, had expected their daughter to remain in hospital overnight after her operation on 5th April due to her cyclical vomiting syndrome - a rare condition that causes violent retching and vomiting episodes.
To their surprise, medical staff discharged Amber just hours after the procedure at approximately 9pm the same day.
Mrs Milnes had repeatedly emphasised to hospital staff that Amber would need to stay overnight because of her condition, which she described as "horrible" and causing her daughter to vomit every 10 minutes for hours at a time.
Rapid Deterioration and Failed Treatment
In the early hours of 6th April, Amber began vomiting repeatedly. Her parents contacted the hospital and were advised to "wait and see" how she progressed.
When Amber vomited around 20 times throughout the day, her parents brought her back to hospital at 10pm that evening.
She was given intravenous medication and diagnosed with a chest infection at about 2am on 7th April. However, her treatment was severely compromised when her intravenous line failed around midnight that day.
For 14 hours, Amber received no fluids, pain relief, antibiotics or anti-sickness drugs because she couldn't keep down oral medication due to vomiting. Intravenous treatment only resumed at 2.45pm on 8th April.
Fatal Haemorrhage and Hospital Response
Tragedy struck at approximately 3am on 9th April when Amber suffered a massive haemorrhage. Despite resuscitation attempts, she was pronounced dead at 4.37am.
Dr Andrew Bamber, a consultant in paediatric and perinatal pathology, determined the cause of death as:
- Massive haemorrhage with aspiration of blood
- Surgical site infection
- Enlarged tonsils
He concluded that damage to a blood vessel in her throat was likely caused by a post-operative infection rather than occurring during the procedure itself.
Surgeon's Testimony and Ongoing Inquest
Kel Anyanwu, the surgeon who performed the 38-minute operation, told the inquest he had worked at the hospital for 25 years and had never before witnessed a death resulting from a tonsillectomy.
He described Amber's case as "unique" and confirmed that the consent form signed by her parents did not mention the risk of death.
Regarding the decision to discharge Amber, Mr Anyanwu stated: "The conversation was let's see how she's managing three, four, five hours after. The assumption was that if she was fine, she will probably be ok. The decision was made later when we saw her, that she is fine, she can go."
The inquest at Cornwall Coroner's Court continues as investigators seek to understand the full circumstances surrounding this tragic loss.
