A Gatineau hospital is reviewing the treatment of a girl suffering from asthma after her death.

The health authority of Outaouais is reviewing the case of a child who died in days He was then seen in Gatineau hospital for an asthma attack.

The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario is also investigating the girl’s death at CHEO, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.

But the mother of four-year-old Chloe Belanger is particularly concerned about what happened hours after the family brought the girl to a Gatineau hospital on March 13, when she experienced a problem. Severe asthma attack.

Alexandra Desjardins-Gunville said that while her daughter was seen by a respiratory therapist and a doctor, the family was left alone for long periods of time. He said he felt like he had to “beg” for further help, until Belanger was later told he was in cardio-respiratory arrest, had to be resuscitated and was transferred to CHEO, where he died. 17 March.

“We’re talking about asthma attacks that could have been controlled much earlier,” Desjardins-Gunville said in French.

“No child should die from an asthma attack in any hospital in Canada,” he said. “It’s not like I arrived five minutes before it happened. It took three hours for the cardio-respiratory arrest to happen.”

The health authority that oversees the Gatineau hospital declined to be interviewed and instead provided an emailed statement to Radio-Canada.

“We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family grieving the loss of this little child,” THe Center Integra de Santé et de Services Sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) said in French.

“(We) are taking this situation very seriously and are currently conducting a thorough review of the events surrounding this case.

“Out of respect for the family and due to obligations relating to the confidentiality of personal information, we cannot comment further on this situation.”

‘lLike watching someone drown’

Desjardins-Gunville said her daughter had already been hospitalized several times after contracting viruses, including COVID-19 in January. Her lungs were already weak and her asthma was difficult to control, Desjardins-Gunville said.

During each visit, the girl received care promptly and “with humanity and kindness. But not this time,” Desjardins-Gunville Wrote in French about his March 13 experience at the Gatineau hospital.

“This time we were left alone, sitting in a room, feeling like we had to handle everything,” he said in a Facebook update posted four days after the girl’s death.

After waiting about 30 minutes in the emergency room, Desjardins-Gunville says Belanger was seen by a respiratory therapist, who administered asthma inhaler treatment.

According to Desjardins-Gunville, she and her daughter were then taken to a consulting room to wait for the doctor. About 10 minutes later, she asked the nurse on duty if the respiratory therapist could return to perform further treatment with the asthma inhaler, as she felt uncomfortable applying the puffs herself.

During previous hospital visits, “They never left us alone with the inhaler,” she said.

Desjardins-Gunville also feels that some staff at the Gatineau hospital failed to treat the family sympathetically, including questioning the family’s decision to bring Bélanger to that hospital instead of CHEO. Desjardins-Gunville said she was told by CHEO to take Belanger to the nearest hospital in case of an emergency.

“I live in Gatineau, literally three minutes from the hospital. Why would I go to CHEO?” Desjardins-Gunville asked in French.

When Desjardins-Gunville became angry and spoke too loudly, she said her daughter would become upset and her breathing would become rapid.

“My job was to be with him,” Desjardins-Gunville said.

As Belanger’s condition worsened, the family considered taking him to CHEO.

“At that time, she remained in a room for several hours. Her physical condition was such that she was no longer able to even breathe properly. She was tired, red faced, exhausted… It’s like watching someone drowning,” Desjardins-Gunville said in French.

A doctor at the Gatineau hospital told the family there was a room available, but according to Desjardins-Gunville, Bélanger soon collapsed and was taken to the resuscitation room, where medical staff performed CPR and intubated her.

He said CHEO staff arrived to transfer the child to Ottawa.

Bélanger died at CHEO on March 17, Desjardins-Gunville said, after staff determined “nothing could be done to save him.”

‘Failure to assist’

Looking back on her experience, Desjardins-Gunville said she feels What happened at Gatineau Hospital was a “Failure to render aid to a person in danger.”

“I don’t understand why the hospital didn’t get back to me and say, ‘Hey, come on, you were there for three hours. This is definitely not normal,'” she said in French.

CBC reached out About CISSO Desjardins-Gunville’s concerns. CBC also asked why Belanger was transferred to CHEO.

CISSO again said it could not comment further on the situation. The CHEO also declined to be interviewed, but said via email that “wWe would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family.”

According to Belanger’s mother, she was an outgoing four-year-old child who looked older than her age and was interested in arts and crafts.

She wrote well, drew beautiful pictures and had an elder sister.

When Belanger hugged people, “It It seems as if your soul has joined his soul,” his mother said.

Desjardins-Gunville said she is speaking out because she doesn’t want another family to experience what hers is going through.

“I want everyone to be able to go back home to be with their loved ones,” she said.