A mother has urged parents to listen to their instincts after her three-year-old son was sent home from Wollongong Hospital's emergency department after being diagnosed with a virus when he actually had life-threatening sepsis.
Sheima Morsi said if she hadn't returned to the ED last Monday – where her son Hamza went into septic shock and had to be placed on life support – she believes he would have died that night.
Instead he was airlifted to The Sydney Children's Hospital, where he remains sedated and intubated.
Ms Morsi said recent tests showed the bacterial infection was abating.
"We know now he had contracted streptococcal disease, which is usually found in the throat but in his case went into the blood and turned into sepsis," she said.
"When we returned to the hospital, he went into septic shock and all his organs started shutting down – his brain, heart, kidney and liver. If we didn't go back to the hospital that night, he would have died."
Hamza had first developed a high fever on the Sunday, with Ms Morsi and husband Amro Said calling an ambulance around 1.30am on Monday after he had a fit and his "lips and back turned blue".
He was taken to the hospital's emergency department where Ms Morsi said a doctor told them he had a virus. She said despite the fact he could not keep even tiny amounts of water down, and was pale and lethargic, they were told to go home.
She said she asked about blood tests, but none were performed.
"While doctors and nurses have a lot of knowledge, sometimes they have to trust a mother's instinct. I know a lot about my son. I knew he had more than just a virus," she said.
Once home, Hamza's temperature reached 40°C "and counting", so Ms Morsi took him to a GP, who prescribed antibiotics.
However at around 7pm the couple returned to the hospital as their son had developed a rash and was "floppy and pale".
"The nurse who was (triaging) said the rash was from the virus, and when I asked how long till we saw a doctor, he told us we had to wait our turn," she said. "That's when I broke down. I felt hopeless – my son couldn't speak so I needed to speak on his behalf, but I couldn't be heard."
Ms Morsi said when a doctor finally saw Hamza and a blood test was taken, the situation escalated.
"All of a sudden we got rushed to the [resusitation] room and the room was filled with doctors. I was told my son had sepsis and was put on life support."
A Wollongong Hospital spokesperson said any concerns raised by patients or their families were taken seriously, adding, "The hospital is carrying out an investigation into the circumstances of this particular case and will continue to liaise directly with the family."
This story first appeared on Illawarra Mercury.