Boy, 15, is killed by heart problem; BLOOD CONDITION WAS FATAL.

Byline: TOM MULLEN

A BOY of 15 was killed by a rare blood condition, despite desperate efforts to save him.

Connorr Bland died from a pulmonary embolism - a blood clot which jams the heart and is more usually seen in the elderly.

The boy, from South Shields, arrived at hospital showing signs of a chest infection, but by the time the clot was discovered it was too late for doctors to save him.

Medics at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary even considered opening Connorr's chest to try to bypass the clot.

But with all major heart facilities based at the Freeman Hospital, this option was ruled out as Connorr was so ill medics feared he could die in transit.

Instead, drugs were given to try to thin the clot, but the teenager died on June 19, a Newcastle inquest heard.

Pulmonary emboli more commonly appear in the elderly, and are seen in around one in 100,000 children.

Dr Alistair Gascoigne said: "In my 16-year career, it is about the third or fourth child who has presented with a pulmonary embolism. "The facilities don't exist. It's all at the Freeman. He was too ill to travel and, had he done so and died in the ambulance, then we would have been found wanting."

Crucially, Connorr had been receiving ongoing treatment for a kidney condition, which most likely caused complications to contribute to the tragedy, the inquest heard.

The condition, called nephrotic syndrome, means the kidneys leak protein and is usually successfully managed with steroids.

But it can leave sufferers prone to infection, and doctors were keen to eliminate this possibility before further investigations were made. Connorr was progressing well until becoming ill in June, when a GP diagnosed a chest infection.

His health then worsened and he was taken to hospital by ambulance before major complications began.

Two ambulances had to be called because the first was diverted to another task, and Newcastle coroner David Mitford questioned whether this could have caused a significant delay in Connorr's treatment.

But Dr Gascoigne replied: "It would be hard to think of any other outcome. This was a fatal condition.

"It would be easy for all of us to search our notes and see if we could have done something different. Unfortunately we don't have a retrospectascope."

Mr Mitford recorded a verdict of natural causes.

A statement from Newcastle NHS Foundation Trust said: "The coroner accepted that Connorr's longstanding medical condition had resulted in an exceedingly rare complication.

"Although he received urgent and expert treatment from a large team of specialists, his death could not be averted."