Father welcomes biopsy safety steps after six-year-old daughter’s death
The father of a six-year-old girl who died following a routine bone marrow biopsy has welcomed steps to make the procedure safer.
Listen to this article
Amelia Ridout died in June 2022 from "catastrophic internal bleeding" after the procedure went wrong.
Amelia was diagnosed with suspected pancytopenia - a reduction in the number of the three main types of blood cells: red blood cells; white blood cells and platelets.
Read More: Government to invest millions into DNA technology in bid to treat serious illness
Read More: Weight-loss jabs ‘shrinking supermarket sales’, experts warn
As a result she had a bone marrow biopsy under general anaesthetic at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge on June 16 2022.
The doctor who conducted the procedure noted a spurt of blood when removing the needle, but was told by a consultant there were no signs to raise concern, according to the Prevention of Future Deaths report into the case.
Shortly afterwards Amelia's pulse was lost and medics tried to save her life.
It was assumed that she was suffering an internal bleed as a result of the procedure and immediate surgery was needed, but she died on the operating table.
The coroner investigating Amelia's death, Elizabeth Gray, said Amelia died after the biopsy needle accidentally pierced blood vessels causing "massive, catastrophic bleeding internally".
And she said there should be national guidelines and standard operating procedure for this type of biopsy.
Now the British Society for Haematology (BSH) has confirmed it will develop a universal method that brings the practises around bone marrow biopsies in line with today's standards, and it will be called Millie's Method in tribute to Amelia.
It will also make recommendations for the training of staff conducting the procedure and develop a competency assessment.
BSH also said it will also explore the possibility of developing a registry of complications to inform future guidelines.
Amelia's father Matt Ridout said: "We will never get Amelia back - but now her name will stand for change.
"Millie's Method will be a permanent reminder to every clinician, every trust, and every patient that safety must never be assumed - it must be guaranteed.
"No parent should ever be left wondering whether their child's life could have been saved by a better process.
"I'm grateful to the British Society for Haematology for taking this seriously and for honouring my daughter with real steps toward change."
The hospital has been approached for comment.