Baby could have had heart checks, inquest hears

Tommy Kneebone died aged seven months

A seven-month-old baby who died with an undiagnosed heart condition could have undergone further checks when his symptoms failed to clear up, an inquest has heard.

Tommy Kneebone, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, was taken to his GP and to A&E several times by his mother with a cough.

He was treated with antibiotics for a suspected respiratory infection, but his cough persisted and he died at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, in Pembury, on 21 January, 2023.

A professor of paediatric medicine told Kent and Medway Coroner's Court earlier that Tommy's continuing symptoms "could perhaps have triggered further investigations for a possible heart condition".

Juan Kaski, professor of paediatric inherited cardiovascular medicine at Great Ormand Street Hospital (GOSH), told the inquest in Maidstone there "has to be awareness that heart conditions can present in that way".

A post-mortem examination indicated Tommy had died from cardiomyopathy - a type of heart disease - which was most likely to be genetic.

Heart failure

Prof Kaski said many cardiomyopathies go undetected as "symptoms children may present with are non specific" and in many cases the same as for more common conditions such as respiratory infections.

He was asked by coroner Sarah Clarke about Tommy's symptoms of sweating, clamminess, not feeding and signs of dehydration.

The coroner asked asked: "Is that obviously a child that's in heart failure?"

Prof Kaski replied that it was "difficult to say, but as a cardiologist my bias would be those symptoms would certainly be in keeping with that".

When Tommy was taken to hospital, Prof Kaski said if heart failure had been diagnosed sooner, he could have been taken to a surgery centre which could have stabilised him.

However, he added: "I can't say if that would have prevented him from dying from heart failure."

The inquest previously heard Shanice Kneebone, Tommy's mother, felt her son was "not safe" at the hospital as "no-one took her concerns seriously".

It also heard Tommy's parents had since undergone tests that did not suggest they passed the condition to their son.

The inquest has now finished hearing evidence and the coroner will deliver her findings in the coming weeks.