Matlock mum thanks hospital staff who saved son after sepsis scare

A Matlock mum has praised medics who saved her infant son after he suffered life-threatening complications from a respiratory illness.
Matlock youngster Felix Cole is now two years old and has made a full recovery after life-saving treatment at the Queen's Medical Centre Nottingham 18 months ago.Matlock youngster Felix Cole is now two years old and has made a full recovery after life-saving treatment at the Queen's Medical Centre Nottingham 18 months ago.
Matlock youngster Felix Cole is now two years old and has made a full recovery after life-saving treatment at the Queen's Medical Centre Nottingham 18 months ago.

Felix Cole was just six-months-old when he started to show symptoms of bronchiolitis, a common respiratory tract infection affecting babies.

But mum Jodie grew increasingly concerned when his condition appeared to be getting worse.

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She said: “It had been seven days and Felix still wasn’t himself. We went for a walk to get some fresh air, however his lips had gone pale and he was grunting.

“We got home, called 111 and they sent an ambulance. He was rushed to hospital where they found he had pneumonia and needed a chest drain – it was terrifying.”

However, the situation was made more difficult as Felix developed sepsis, which is when the body starts to attack itself in response to infection.

The family were transferred to the Paediatric Critical Care Unit at Queen’s Medical Centre’s Nottingham Children’s Hospital, where Felix spent the next 12 days on the unit being treated.

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Paediatric consultant Dr Catarina Silvestre said: “As soon as sepsis is recognised it is a race against the clock to deliver treatment to improve outcomes for patients.

Jodie added: “I cannot thank the staff at Queen’s Medical Centre enough for their support during what was an absolutely terrifying time. Felix is now two-years-old and has made a full recovery.

“The nurses were phenomenal caring for us, during what was a really sudden and scary time. We had not heard of sepsis until it happened to us.”

Each month around 130 people of all ages attend Nottingham University Hospitals as an emergency with signs of sepsis, with more than 90 per cent of patients receiving antibiotics within one hour.

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Early symptoms of sepsis in a child may include them becoming more sleepy and less communicative, looking bluish or pale, a rash that does not fade when pressed, severe shivering, a rapid heartbeat or breathing, and going 12 hours without urinating.

For more information, visit sepsistrust.org.

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