Baby turned away by medics 15 occasions however mum knew one thing wasn’t proper

Ellie Stimson’s daughter Isla-Rae Burton was sent home 15 times before doctors finally discovered she was suffering with a rare condition which required urgent surgery

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A toddler was left battling for her life with a collapsed lung after being turned away 15 times by medics who brushed off her symptoms as a chest infection. Ellie Stimson, 21, says her daughter, Isla-Rae Burton now requires urgent surgery for a rare lung condition after doctors dismissed her concerns for months on end.

The new mum “knew something wasn’t right” when Isla-Rae arrived in February, as the tot was constantly wheezing, battling to breathe and bringing up mucus.

But Ellie and her partner Keiron Burton, 23, were stunned when medics reassured them she “would probably grow out of it” because she appeared to be a “happy baby.”

The worried parents found themselves making seven trips to their GP and eight visits to Royal Stoke University Hospital – only to be told it was a chest infection and sent packing each time.

During one frightening episode, she was rushed back to A&E by ambulance, but Ellie revealed “still no one listened” to her worries until proper tests were finally conducted in October.

Nine-month-old Isla-Rae was diagnosed with Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM) – an incredibly rare condition where cysts develop in the lung whilst still in the womb.

Medics also discovered Isla-Rae had suffered a collapsed lung, resulting in her spending six gruelling hours on life support. According to Asthma + Lung UK charity, just 1 in 10,000 babies are born with CPAM.

Ellie, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs, has now slammed the blundering medical staff for failing to spot the obvious warning signs of her daughter’s serious condition.

She said: “They said it could have been life-threatening and we know from research its not survivable if left. I think it’s so disgusting the fact that she’s just a baby and that it can be picked up and it wasn’t.

“They’ve failed her and the thought of that we could have lost her breaks my heart. It’s not the kind of mistakes they should be making.

“We’re very upset and angry that it wasn’t picked up at the start.

“We go to the hospital with our children to trust them to tell us what’s wrong with them. We knew it was something else, a baby shouldn’t be having a chest infection constantly for 11 months.

“Normally the surgery is done immediately so they’re not left struggling to breathe like this. I just don’t understand why we were repeatedly told not to worry when we knew something was wrong.

“She was receiving treatment for conditions she never had. They’d just keep telling us she’s a happy baby and it was fine.

“It was really frustrating and upsetting to be ignored. It was horrible and now she needs a major operation.”

From as early as two weeks old, Isla-Rae had been battling with breathing difficulties and coughing up mucus. Her worried parents initially brought her to the GP but were given reassurance by medics that it was merely a straightforward chest infection.

In May, she underwent an X-ray after her condition failed to improve – but doctors there also ruled out shadowing on her lung as concerning.

Just weeks afterwards she was rushed back to A&E by ambulance, where once again it was still thought to be a chest infection.

Ellie revealed she demanded further tests after continuously receiving the same diagnosis and being discharged with antibiotics, saline spray and calpol.

Ellie explained: “We realised something was off straight away, we took her to the doctors at two weeks old as she was really wheezy.

“The doctors said it was normal as babies have a lot of mucus. We left it for a bit but it was still bad so we went to the doctors again.

“They gave us a saline solution for her nose.

“Again her breathing was really bad and I took her to the GP in May when she was two months old. She got blue lighted as her stats were down.

“She had her first chest X-ray then and they told us they thought it was a chest infection or it was laryngomalacia.

“But we were told it was fine and the X-ray was clear, so we went home. But in June she wouldn’t feed or drink so we took her in yet again.

“Then she had another X-ray where they found a shadowing on her lungs. Again, they told me it indicated a chest infection.

“She had a camera down her throat in October.

“They called us after and asked if we knew she had a collapsed lung and we were just in shock. It was on the scans the whole time.

“They were meant to be detected at 21 weeks but they were completely missed.”

Isla-Rae was found to have cysts larger than 2cm in her lungs, with one lung having collapsed entirely.

The pair claim they made 15 visits to GPs and hospitals during the eight months following Isla-Rae’s birth, only to be turned away each time.

Now Isla is currently awaiting a surgery date at Birmingham Children’s Hospital whilst both Ellie and Keiron provide round-the-clock care.

The couple are now raising funds to cover the escalating care expenses after both were forced to quit their jobs.

Ann-Marie Riley, chief nurse at Royal Stoke University Hospital, stated: “We take all concerns raised very seriously and have a robust process in place to investigate concerns and feedback findings to patients and/or their families.

“We are now in communication with Isla-Rae’s family and will work with them regarding their complaint.”