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
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
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.
Swarm of bees delays Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles game in Arizona. An 'MVP' beekeeper came to the rescue
Major League Baseball fans had an unexpected buzz on Tuesday after a swarm of bees delayed the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game for around two hours.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
It's opening day for the $34B Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion
Wednesday marks the official start date of the long-awaited $34-billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.