The parents of a young boy have settled a clinical negligence
claim against a hospital trust after doctors failed to remove a
tube inserted to help their newborn baby breathe.
More than a week later baby Owen Thomas coughed up the six-inch
tube after medics left it inside him after his birth.
Owen's parents, Kev and Clare Thomas, have won the claim against
teh Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
Owen had the endotracheal tube inserted after he was born in
February 2007 because he was not breathing.
One of his shoulders had become stuck during the birth, known
as shoulder dystocia.
Medical staff did not remove the tube and the baby later coughed
it up in front of his horrified mother. She said she believes Owen
would have died if she had not been there.
Owen suffered no long term damage as a result of the
incident.