$15M Settlement For Death Of 6-Month-Old After Sleep Study: A six-month-old child born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism that can cause sleep issues, was brought to Boston Children’s Hospital for what was supposed to be a routine sleep test for apnea and a car seat test to check if the baby could sit safely in a car seat. He had the same study done at three months without complications. This time, the test and study went horribly wrong when the baby was deprived of oxygen for twenty minutes while the medical staff dealt with what they thought was an equipment malfunction.
Because the medical staff failed to properly monitor the infant’s breathing and heart rate, the child suffered a catastrophic brain injury due to the lack of oxygen that required that he be placed on life support.
On August 9, 2021, the baby named Jackson was delivered by C-section, weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Jackson’s parents both had achondroplasia, a genetic bone growth condition that can cause health complications, and they knew that there was a 50 percent chance that Jackson would be born with the condition. They also knew that if Jackson was born with two recessive genes, he would grow to an average stature; however, there was a 25 percent chance that Jackson might have two dominant copies of the genetic trait, which would be fatal. They underwent genetic testing in February 2021 that determined that Jackson had only one copy of the genetic trait and therefore would be born with achondroplasia like his parents.
After he was born, Jackson was placed in the NICU where he was found to be having some episodes of sleep apnea. He was also found to have breathing problems while in a car seat, which was not unexpected because some premature babies exhibit breathing issues while in car seats. There was also concern that Jackson may have breathing issues because babies born with achondroplasia have heads that are often larger than their smaller bodies, which may cause their heads to flop down and obstruct their airways when they are in seated positions. Babies born with achondroplasia also have smaller chests that may cause them to take smaller breaths.
Life support for Jackson was withdrawn on March 2, 2022, twelve days after the sleep apnea test. His loving parents were with him when he drew his last breath. Jackson’s mother, who was with him during the sleep study and saw what happened, said recently “I saw someone write this recently. They were celebrating the child’s birthday and they said, ‘I will always protect you’. But in that moment, there was nothing I could do to protect him.”
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