Emergency doctor assisted in dying son’s resuscitation as hospital care unravelled, inquest told
Dr Ben McKenzie is campaigning for improvements in emergency treatment protocols after the death of his son, Max, from an anaphylactic reaction.
An emergency doctor assisted in performing a cricothyroidotomy on his dying son following a severe allergic reaction, a coroner’s court has heard.
Fifteen-year-old Max McKenzie arrived at Melbourne’s Box Hill Hospital critically ill after accidentally consuming walnuts. Yet his father, Dr Ben McKenzie, says his son never would have required his help during resuscitation if appropriate care had been provided.
Max’s case, involving delays in securing his airway and missed chances for earlier intervention, has raised concerns about emergency treatment protocols.
“I should never have had the opportunity to participate in Max’s resuscitation because it should have been done before I got there,” Dr McKenzie told reporters last week.
