State Health Department Refers Toddler Brain Damage Case to Medical Council

The Investigation

The Bengaluru Urban District Health Officer and the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Grievance Redressal Authority referred a medical negligence case to the Karnataka Medical Council. The case involves a 14-month-old boy who suffered severe brain damage after routine ear surgery at Cloudnine Hospital in Nagarabhavi on July 26, 2026. The boy's father, Sampath Kumar K.P., filed the complaint regarding the emergency procedure for a full-thickness ear laceration.

Medical Lapses

An expert panel from Sir C.V. Raman General Hospital, consisting of anaesthesiologist Raghunatha M. and paediatrician Nagaraju, found critical lapses in anesthesia administration. The technical committee reported that the attending anesthesiologist was not well trained to treat small children. The doctor used an uncuffed tube for intubation, which caused hypoxia, bradycardia, and a cardiac arrest. Although hospital logs stated the heart restart took seven minutes, the expert report confirmed brain hypoxia lasted for 15 to 20 minutes.

Current Condition

An MRI scan three days later showed partial prolonged hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury. The child was moved to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Cloudnine Hospital in Jayanagar for advanced care. While he is now off mechanical ventilation and stable, he is unresponsive to verbal commands, has lost his sight, shows decerebrate posturing, and needs Ryle's tube feeding.

Context

Medical councils in India handle professional misconduct and negligence complaints against registered doctors, and they hold the power to take disciplinary action up to suspending medical licenses. Cases involving private hospitals often go through district health offices and grievance authorities before reaching these medical councils for formal inquiry.