Struggle to clear girl's airway after rescue
SuppliedAn inquest into the death of a 13-year-old who was swept away from steps by the sea has heard there were several attempts to restore her breathing.
Edie Smart, from Monkseaton, North Tyneside, died four days after being pulled from the water in Whitley Bay on 24 July.
Newcastle Coroners' Court heard how previous attempts to clear her airway were unsuccessful, and it could only be cleared once Dr Michael Penn from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) attended.
The family's barrister, Andrew Scott, has thanked those who responded to try and save Edie's life, but said they believe there were potential "missed opportunities".
Penn told the hearing how once on the scene, conditions were challenging as the "sun was right behind us", but agreed appropriate equipment was being used by medical professionals already on the scene.
He said there had been "copious amounts" of sand, as well as vomit, which could not be removed from a suction device, prompting him to take over.
Although he said it is not normally GNAAS protocol to "take over" care while other professionals are on the scene, they made a "quick judgment call".
Scott, on behalf of the family, thanked Penn and said they "appreciate the difficulties the most senior paramedic had" to "secure the airway, and you achieved that".
A hearing on Tuesday shared how two ambulance support practitioners from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) were first on the scene, while waiting for a paramedic to arrive from a third-party company.
Tracy Collins and Carl Patterson - whose roles carry basic life-saving training - administered life-saving treatment including CPR and tilting Edie's head, but were not authorised to use an I-Gel - a tube which keeps an airway open - as they were not paramedics. The family thanked them for trying to save Edie's life.
Scott asked NEAS duty officer Jon Soppitt whether ambulance support practitioners could be trained in the use of I-Gels in an emergency situation, and he replied "they could".
Giving evidence, Soppitt was also asked about third-party paramedic Zubair Mirza's previous statement that he did not realise there was not a paramedic working on Edie until four minutes after he started cannulating her arm.
Soppitt replied stating it is "obvious" who a paramedic is because of the epaulets on their uniforms, which state their role and are colour co-ordinated.
"I could see they weren't paramedics before I got there," he added.
The inquest continues.
