‘My baby was left with brain damage after he was deprived of oxygen’

A couple have revealed their heartbreak after their baby was left with severe brain damage following hospital failings during his birth.

Six-month-old Muhammed Khan, known as Azlaan, was left with life-altering brain damage after he was deprived of oxygen and resuscitated for a prolonged period following failings by Bradford Royal Infirmary on 25 February.

Parents Javeria Arooj, 24, and Kamran Agha, 26, claim warning signs were missed and their urgent concerns were ignored.Despite a heart scan revealing Azlaan had a slowing heartbeat, Ms Arooj did not have a caesarean section for another six hours, by which point her son was born “very pale and with no heartbeat”.

Teams worked to resuscitate Azlaan, but his heartbeat did not return to normal levels for 14 minutes, according to a report of the birth.

Azlaan has since been diagnosed with Grade 3 Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE), the most severe form of brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation.

He will need round-the-clock care, specialist equipment, and an adapted home to ensure he can live with dignity.

Mr Agha told The Independent: “He was deprived of oxygen, which not only caused brain damage but also damaged his kidneys and liver - it has affected his entire body. He is going to have lifelong complications.”

The father, who is currently living with Ms Arooj in his parents’ house, said he was forced to quit his IT job to take care of his son and the financial toll has become crippling on the family.

“Right now, it has become an urgent need for us to find a new home and find something suitable for Azlaan,” he said. “We’ll do whatever we can to survive, but when it comes to Azlaan, I want to be able to provide and care for him.

“He's had a very tough start to life. For the remaining years that he's got left, however long that may be, I want to be able to give him a good life and give him everything that he needs.”

On the evening before Azlaan was born, Ms Arooj attended the maternity assessment centre with concerns about reduced foetal movement.

Following a scan to check the baby’s heartbeat, the consultant was unsure about an abnormal heart rate. But the couple do not recall anything being done about the abnormal heart rate, and claim they were not informed.

Almost six hours passed and when the consultant started the next morning, Ms Arooj was rushed into an emergency caesarean. Azlaan was delivered with no heartbeat, with ventilation breaths started a minute and a half later. He was intubated four minutes after birth and finally resuscitated after almost 15 minutes without oxygen.

A report following the birth revealed evidence of “fresh bleeding” inside Ms Arooj’s uterus, which medics suspected was a sign of a placental abruption. This is a serious condition where the placenta separates from the womb wall before birth, requiring emergency treatment and often a caesarean section.

“We were unaware of how severe the situation was, because the communication was awful,” Mr Agha said.

“The theatres were not available, so she was just pulled into a side room and they did the operation. The hospital agreed afterwards that the C-section should have been done far earlier at 3am. And the time that it was done was 9.52am.”

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of 14 hospital trusts to be looked at as part of a rapid, independent, national investigation into maternity and neonatal services.

The investigation was launched in response to growing allegations of failures in maternity care across the country, going back more than 15 years.

Azlaan’s parents are currently going through a complaints procedure and are seeking compensation, but they have been warned it could take years to complete.

“We want to sort this case out as quickly as possible so we can begin our life rather than going through the entire headache of attending court. We've had enough struggle and stress as it is,” Mr Agha said.

The family have set up a fundraiser to help them move house and provide care for Azlaan.

A spokesperson for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We sincerely apologise for the distressing experience that Muhammad and his family have been through. We recognise the significant impact this has and will have on Muhammad and his family.

“As a Trust, we know the importance of giving every child the best start in life and for Muhammad we have not done so. We have met with the family to understand more about their experience including answering any questions they have and how we can work with them to make the improvements they rightly seek. We have been touched by the bravery shown by Muhammad’s family in sharing their experience.

“We have been open and transparent with Muhammad’s family and understand the life-long consequences they are faced with. We are sorry that we have not provided the high standards of care that Muhammad’s family should expect of us.”