Pa. hospital sued after newborn dies amid neonatal virus outbreak

Aug. 31--A lawsuit against Children's Hospital of Philadelphia alleges a premature baby girl died after being one of 23 infants infected during a virus outbreak at the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit in 2016, CBSPhilly.com and the Associated Press report.

The suit seeking damages has been filed by the family of the newborn, Melanie Sanders, who the suit says died as a result of the infection. The lawsuit accuses the hospital staff of negligence and failing to use proper hygiene in the baby girl's death.

The suit was filed by noted Philadelphia malpractice attorney Shanin Specter, who told the media outlets, "It's hard to believe that can happen in 2016, but it did. And there was an outbreak in infections in babies in their intensive care unit."

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia announced Thursday that 23 infections were observed among infants at the hospital. Each infant had contracted adenovirus infections after eye exams at the unit, the hospital said.

The hospital's statement, coupled with a medical journal article authored by hospital staff about the infections, indicates 43 babies received the eye exam in the unit in August 2016, and of those, 23 of them were infected.

All of those who were infected suffered respiratory symptoms; five developed pneumonia; and 11 had eye-related symptoms, the article said. In addition, nine adults including six nurses and three parents contracted viral infections.

In the end, the journal article blamed the outbreak on "lack of standard cleaning practices of bedside ophthalmologic equipment and limited glove use," the authors wrote.

But once the outbreak was identified, staff moved quickly to determine the source of the virus and warn all of those who were at risk, the hospital said in a statement:

The hospital led a swift and proactive response. Strict infection control procedures, coupled with numerous safety enhancements, were immediately put into place. And no additional cases have since been identified," the statement read.

Amid all this, Baby Melanie was being treated for eye issues related to her premature birth during the summer of 2016 and, within a few weeks of being transferred to the Philadelphia-based hospital, she started having respiratory symptoms, the media outlets report, citing the lawsuit:

She tested positive for an adenovirus and went into respiratory distress, requiring a drainage tube to be placed in her chest on four separate occasions, the suit said. The suit goes on to say that she developed a bacterial infection on top of the viral illness and died on Sept. 11, 2016.

However, lawyers for the hospital said in their court answer to the suit that survival of babies born so prematurely is uncertain for numerous reasons.

Hospital officials declined comment on the details of the lawsuit.

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