Mum invokes Ryan’s Rule for son after month-long pneumonia battle at two Brisbane hospitals

A Brisbane nurse and mum-of-three invoked Ryan’s Rule after her son contracted encephalitis after spending more than a month in two Brisbane hospitals with ‘walking pneumonia’.

A Brisbane nurse and mum-of-three invoked Ryan’s Rule after her son contracted encephalitis after spending more than a month in two Brisbane hospitals after contracting ‘walking pneumonia’.

Kiristi Keegan’s son Oliver, 6, initially spent nine days in Prince Charles Hospital after being diagnosed with “significant pneumonia” in his lungs and bacteria mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as walking pneumonia.

Ms Keegan says she was initially told Oliver would need to be transferred to the Queensland Children’s Hospital but the transfer kept getting delayed after the QCH was placed into “code black”, meaning it was at full capacity.

“Then they (TPCH) said ‘oh look someone else has had to be put in his spot, we don’t have enough beds’,” she said.

He was placed into the TPCH’s respiratory unit and started on IV antibiotics but his condition did not improve. He had stopped eating and could not get out of bed.

“He would sleep for at least half the day at a minimum, then every day for the first nine days in hospital he got worse even on triple antibiotics, nothing was bringing down his infection,” Ms Keegan said.

Oliver Keegan sick in hospital with mother Kirsti Keegan. Photo supplied by Adam Keegan

He was finally transferred via ambulance to the QCH, where the team was forced to push the Medical Emergency Team (MET) button - which alert staff to the fact a patient’s vital signs are crashing - within five minutes of him arriving.

“His whole entire left lung was likely collapsed, (it was) completely white with heavy consolidation (filled with fluid) (and) he was no longer opening his eyes and when I checked they were all deviated sideways,” Ms Keegan said.

“He was immediately incubated and then he was sent for a brain and spine MRI which revealed he has Bickerstaff brainstem (encephalitis) which, if left any longer, even maybe overnight, he wouldn’t be here with us,” she said.

“Thank God I pushed and pushed.”

Oliver Keegan's being taken to hospital. Photo supplied by Adam Keegan

A nurse herself, Ms Keegan said she was forced to invoke Ryan’s Rule on Day 23 of his stay at QCH, because she knew if her son did not get additional help he would die.

Ryan’s Rule requires a nurse or doctor to undertake a clinical review of a patient and their treatment if a carer raises concerns about the patient’s health condition worsening.

A month after the ordeal, Ms Keegan said Oliver’s recovery was ongoing.

“He’s obviously still very weak and ghostly white pale, his blood work is still deranged and he still has a collapsed lung,” she said.

“I kept asking for tests to be done, because as a nurse who has worked in pediatrics, I know what a sick kid is, but they just kept saying ‘it’s the mycoplasma,’ and I was like ‘no, there’s something else wrong with his brain’. He was not alert,” she said.

Oliver Keegan's chest x-ray showing collapsed lung. Photo supplied by Adam Keegan

Ms Keegan said the “traumatic experience” showed how differently mycoplasma pneumoniae could affect different children.

Her daughter Emerson, 9 and younger son, Denver, 2, were also both diagnosed with pneumonia but their condition was far less severe than their brother.

Metro North Health and Children’s Health Queensland confirmed a review was ongoing “relating to the care of this patient”.

A Children’s Health Queensland Spokesman said care was alway prioritised on the basis of clinical need and acuity.

“The Queensland Children’s Hospital has consistently maintained safe admitting capacity over the past 12 months,” he said.

Queensland Minister for Health Shannon Fentiman said she had been advised that pediatric specialists at TPCH and the QCH were in regular contact about Oliver’s condition during his time in hospital and that “no child will ever be turned away” from the QCH.

“There is always capacity at the Children’s Hospital for those requiring urgent tertiary care,” she said.

Oliver’s family have established a go fund me to aid in his recovery.