Summary: A case of sepsis — child abuse or natural disease?

How does the reader judge?
By Stig Cronberg, Assistant professor

Stig Cronberg, is assistant professor in practical medicine at the Infection Clinic, University Hospital MAS, Malmö, Sweden. This is a summary of an article that was previously published in the Doctors' Newspaper on October 24, 2001, under the title "Ett fall av sepsis - barnmisshandel eller naturlig sjukdom". The article was written following the verdict of the Supreme Administrative Court in the only "Münchhausen by Proxy" case that has ever been tried by the Supreme Administrative Court.

The summary is published here with the kind consent of the author.

An infant falls ill with repeated septicaemias.

Two experts think that the number of positive blood cultures indicate that the mother intoxicates the child with intravenous bacteria.

Another specialist considers that most of the bacteria found are commensals, others are typical for intensive care, such as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and that the presence of abdominal disease with portal thrombosis and pancreatitis can only be explained by a natural disease.

Also the psychiatrists have different opinions.

The mother loses care of the child and another child born one year later

Ett fall av sepsis - barnmisshandel eller naturlig sjukdom

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