SAUDI ARABIA: Boy in coma after circumcision

Saudi Gazette
August 2, 2012

Father of child who lapsed into coma after circumcision procedure demands probe

AL-BAHA – The father of a child who slipped into coma following a circumcision procedure during which he was administered general anesthesia, has demanded that those responsible for his son’s condition be punished.

The child’s father, Ali Al-Zahrani, lodged a complaint against Al-Mandaq General Hospital in Al-Baha with Prince Mishari Bin Saud, Emir of Al-Baha Region, who ordered that investigation be initiated into the case.

“I have twins, Muhammad and Mazin, and both had an appointment on the 6th day of Ramadan to have a circumcision operation at the hospital. Nothing was supposed to go wrong. It was a simple operation which millions of Muslim babies undergo,” the father told Al-Madinah newspaper.

Both children were admitted to the hospital and medical tests were done in preparation of the circumcision procedure. Muhammad was admitted to the operation room for the procedure which took an hour and a half. When he got out, Al-Zahrani said Muhammad had blood stains on his face and chest and his respiratory rate was low. Muhammad’s twin brother, Mazin, was also given a local anesthesia during the circumcision operation which was successful. When Muhammad’s condition deteriorated, he was referred to King Fahd Hospital in Al-Baha where he was admitted to the ICU.

After investigations, doctors found that the child had a severe lung infection caused by the anesthesia. He was hooked to a mechanical ventilator and given antibiotics. The next day, the ICU doctor called the father and told him that Muhammad’s condition had deteriorated further and he suffered from a collapsed lung. Doctors operated on the child to stabilize his condition.

Al-Zahrani pleaded for help and asked those in charge to start an investigation into the case and hold doctors who committed the horrible medical error responsible.