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The Angoulême criminal court found a doctor at the Périgueux hospital center guilty for errors leading to the death of a young patient. This decision comes after a long legal battle led by the child's family.
The Angoulême criminal court (Charente) delivered its verdict on November 12: a doctor from the Périgueux hospital center, in Dordogne, was found guilty of involuntary homicide, reports South West. This judgment marks the end of a long legal journey.
What happened?
In 2015, Éloi, aged one, fell ill after several days of fever. In Bergerac, an infection was diagnosed, but due to a lack of available pediatric places, he was transferred to Périgueux. There, a series of examinations is carried out, accompanied by the administration of several antibiotics. The child is then sent home.
Victim of “mild symptoms” for a year, he had a seizure the day after his birthday. Taken to hospital, it was too late and the young child died at the age of two from a heart attack. How is this possible at such a young age? The forensic doctor raises the theory of “Kawasaki disease”, a pathology characterized by inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body.
Éloi's mother explains that a year ago, when she took her son to the hospital, the doctors mentioned the possibility of this illness but quickly ruled it out before releasing the child “without safety instructions.”
The bereaved mother then filed a complaint and the court ruled in mid-November that the pediatrician at Périgueux hospital was guilty of involuntary manslaughter. She was given a six-month suspended prison sentence. The hospital's liability will be examined in the administrative court. The doctor and her lawyer plan to appeal.
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