South London hospital teams join forces to save 4-year-old girl

May 21, 2026

South London News NHS and Wellbeing Desk Edited By Jimmy Nsubuga

A Denmark Hill emergency heart bypass operation has successfully saved the life of a four-year-old girl following an accident that left her with critical thoracic and abdominal injuries. Clinical teams from King's College Hospital and Evelina London Children's Hospital, part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, mobilised a rapid multidisciplinary response to address severe internal trauma sustained when a large metal planter fell across the patient's chest.

Critical Care Mobilisation and Denmark Hill Emergency Heart Bypass

The patient, Paisley-Rose Hall, was initially stabilised at her local hospital in Colchester and subsequently transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital. Following diagnostic scans that revealed suspected blood vessel damage, bruised lungs, and complex liver injuries, she was blue-lighted to the specialised trauma facilities at King's College Hospital in South East London. Clinical assessment identified a critical disruption to the inferior vena cava, the major vein responsible for returning deoxygenated blood from the lower body back to the heart.

Dr Trisha Radia, Clinical Director for Child Health at King's, stated: "We discovered that Paisley-Rose had sustained an extremely serious injury to her inferior vena cava (IVC), a large vein that drains blood from the body back to the heart. This was potentially lethal, and we knew that we had to act quickly to give this little girl her best chance of survival."

Liver specialists at the Denmark Hill campus cross-consulted with paediatric cardiovascular surgeons at Evelina London to formulate an immediate operative plan. The combined clinical teams transferred the patient for emergency cardiac bypass surgery to repair the torn vessel under controlled conditions.

Surgical Coordination and National Pediatric Trauma Context

The intricate surgical intervention required a total of six hours in the operating theatre, utilizing extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation and bypass equipment to sustain organ perfusion while the inferior vena cava was surgically repaired. Surgeons from the King's Liver Unit worked alongside the Evelina London cardiac team to manage the concurrent hepatic lacerations during the procedure.

Dr Marilyn McDougall, Clinical Director of Children’s Cardiac Respiratory and Intensive care at Evelina London, stated: "This was an incredibly rare and life-threatening injury, and it required rapid, highly coordinated care across multiple specialist teams. We’re very proud of the seamless collaboration between Evelina London, King’s College Hospital and the South Thames Retrieval Service, which ensured Paisley-Rose received the right care at the right time. It’s thanks to that teamwork, as well as the expertise of our surgical, critical care and anaesthetic colleagues, that she is now recovering well at home."

National clinical registries show that traumatic injuries to the inferior vena cava carry an extremely high mortality rate, often exceeding 50% in both adult and paediatric populations due to immediate, massive haemorrhage. The successful management of this case highlights the operational efficiency of the South Thames Retrieval Service in transferring highly unstable paediatric patients between regional units and dedicated tertiary trauma centres. Following a period of post-operative monitoring in intensive care, the patient was transferred back to King's College Hospital before being deemed clinically fit for discharge.

OFFICIAL SOURCE VERIFICATION:

This report is based on official clinical data from King's College Hospital NHS Trust.

Document: London hospital teams join forces to save 4-year-old girl - King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Source Link: https://www.kch.nhs.uk/news/london-hospital-teams-join-forces-to-save-4-year-old-girl/

Author

South London News NHS and Wellbeing Desk Edited By Jimmy Nsubuga

From the corridors of St Thomas' to pioneering local clinics, the South London News NHS & Wellbeing Desk offers comprehensive coverage of our healthcare system. Our editorial staff provide clinical updates, patient success stories, and service analysis, ensuring our readers stay connected to the medical milestones happening in their community.

Every report is produced under the rigorous oversight of a leadership team with decades of experience at Yahoo UK, Metro, and the Daily Mail. By bridging the gap between clinical data and the patient experience, our desk upholds the highest standards of journalistic integrity to provide an accurate, authoritative perspective on the health of our city.