Inquiry told Adam Strain was 'given too much fluid'

Adam Strain is one of five children whose deaths are being investigated

A four-year-old boy, who died after a kidney transplant, was given an "inappropriate and massive" quantity of fluid, a public inquiry has been told.

Adam Strain died in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in 1995.

His death, and the deaths of four other children at different times, are being examined by the hyponatraemia public inquiry in Banbridge.

Hyponatraemia is an abnormally low level of sodium in blood and can occur when fluids are given incorrectly.

On Monday, the inquiry's lead counsel revealed that an expert witness, Dr Malcolm Coulthard, had described the quantity of fluid infused into Adam during his surgery as "simply vast" and the rate of infusion as "dramatically fast".

Another expert, Dr Simon Haynes, said there had been a failure of the senior people involved in the operation to work effectively as a team.

The public inquiry is investigating the deaths of Adam Strain, Claire Roberts, Raychel Ferguson, Lucy Crawford and issues arising from the treatment of Conor Mitchell.

They all received treatement in hospitals in Northern Ireland between 1995 and 2003.

The inquiry, which was established in 2004, has been postponed on several occasions.

Oral hearings will begin on Tuesday and will examine several issues relating to Adam's care before and during the transplant operation.

The deaths of the other children will be examined in chronological order.