Baby in respiratory distress dies after being transferred from Montreal hospital
The coroner's office is investigating after an eight-month-old baby in respiratory distress died after she was transferred from the Montreal General Hospital.
Police brought the baby to the hospital after officers were the first to arrive on the scene Wednesday morning after receiving a 911 call.
"When the police officer arrived on the scene, they noticed that the baby, unfortunately, wasn't breathing, and that information was transferred to a call centre," said Chantal Comeau, a spokesperson for Urgences-Santé. "Right away, our response plan was adjusted."
Urgences-Santé says that based on information from the person who called 911, the response only merited a level three priority – a 20 to 29-minute response time.
But when police relayed the seriousness of the infant's distress, that priority was elevated, and police decided not to wait for paramedics.
"First responders were there within about two, three minutes. When they got there, the police officer had already left for the hospital with the baby," said Comeau.
At the hospital, teams of doctors, nurses and respiratory specialists worked on her for around 30 minutes, said MUHC associated director of communications Andrea Paine.
"As soon as the baby arrived at the hospital, a whole team of professionals started working on the patient right away," said Paine. "Whoever was on hand at the time started working on the baby."
Then doctors made the decision to transfer her to a pediatric facility. She died en route.
Paine said there were details the hospital could not release due to patient confidentiality.
"Since the decision is related to the child's medical case, no further information or details can be disclosed in order to preserve the confidentiality of the patient and out of respect for the family," a statement from the hospital read.
Note: A previous version of this article suggested that the baby was turned away by the Montreal General Hospital. The hospital later clarified that nurses and doctors made every attempt to save the baby's life before transferring the baby to the Montreal Children's Hospital. The current article reflects that information.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
BREAKING Hosting Vancouver's FIFA World Cup games could cost half a billion dollars
Hosting seven games in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup could cost more than half a billion dollars, according to an updated estimate provided Tuesday.
Moe 'will respond' to CRA, insists Saskatchewan has 'paid in full' amid carbon tax audit
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government 'will respond' to the Canada Revenue Agency when it concludes its audit of the province, but that his position is Saskatchewan doesn't owe Ottawa any money.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.