Dying baby 'should have been seen much earlier' by doctor, parents' trial hears
Meghan Grant | CBC News | Posted: October 4, 2018 11:02 PM | Last Updated: October 4, 2018
WARNING: This story contains disturbing and graphic details
At 14 months old, John Clark wasn't yet crawling and couldn't pull himself up — developmental milestones so significantly delayed, he should have seen a doctor early on in his short life, a doctor told jurors Thursday.
But it wasn't until the baby was "on death's doorstep" that he was brought to see medical professionals.
"This child should have been seen early in life," said Dr. Tajdin Jadavji, an expert in pediatric infectious disease who testified on Day 4 of Jennifer and Jeromie Clark's trial. "He should have been seen much earlier."
The couple is accused of failing to take their dying boy to a doctor before it was too late. The Crown must establish a timeline of how long the baby had been ill before he was brought to a doctor.
The couple's defence lawyers have suggested the boy could have died after contracting an infection at the hospital or if doctors increased John's saline levels too quickly.
Baby was hypothermic
Jennifer, 41, and Jeromie, 38, are each charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessaries of life. Their three-week jury trial began Monday.
The Clarks brought John to the hospital on Nov. 28, 2013, but he died 21 hours later from a staph infection complicated by malnutrition, according to evidence presented by prosecutors Shane Parker and Jennifer Crews.
When the family arrived at hospital, John was in septic shock, hypothermic, had a blistering rash covering more than 70 per cent of his body and four toes were black with gangrene.
Jadavji, who has been the head of infection control at the Alberta Children's Hospital for 20 years, testified it would have taken at least seven days from the time the baby's toes became infected and began losing blood supply and changing colour to became black with gangrene.
'This has not occurred in one hour'
Defence lawyers David Chow and John Phillips have suggested to various witnesses that John contracted his fatal infection during his first 60 minutes in hospital, but Jadavji said that paired with the child's other symptoms, it would have taken longer.
"This has not occurred in one hour," said Jadavji. "If this child came completely well and then we see this, maybe we start questioning that."
The specialist also noted that if contaminated equipment was to blame for the infection, hospital staff would have almost certainly seen "clusters" of children affected.
Jadavji did not treat John at hospital but rather compiled a report based on other medical documents connected to the child's care.
Doctor accused of being defensive
Chow has suggested doctors increased the baby's saline levels too quickly, causing him to have seizures and go into cardiac arrest.
On Thursday, a second doctor denied Chow's assertion that she caused the child's death.
Dr. Cathy Ross, who was responsible for John's treatment overnight on Nov. 28, testified earlier on Thursday that the boy was "moribund" when she first saw him 10 minutes after his arrival at the Children's hospital.
Ross explained that means "very close to death."
In cross-examination, Ross confirmed to Jeromie's lawyer that the boy had a clear airway and soft abdomen when he arrived at hospital.
Chow accused her of being defensive with him and asked if it was because, "as a doctor, you have some concerns that you may have played a role in either causing or significantly causing John's death?"
"No," Ross responded.
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- A previous version of this story stated baby John died on Feb. 29, 2013. The date of his death has been corrected to Nov. 29, 2013. October 3, 2018 12:30 PM