$15M Amount Awarded by Boston Children Hospital to Massachusetts Couple Whose Son Di*d After Sleep Study

By Divya Bhatia On May 3, 2023

Boston Children’s Hospital has agreed to pay a sum of $15 million to a couple from Massachusetts following the de@th of their son after a sleep study. Boston Children’s Hospital has awarded a couple from Massachusetts a settlement of $15 million for the wrongful de@th of their infant son, which occurred after the couple’s kid had a sleep study at the hospital.

On February 18, 2022, Jackson Kekula, who later passed aw@y, was brought to Boston Children’s Hospital for a car seat test and a sleep study by his parents, Becky and Ryan Kekula of Plymouth. Jackson was only six months old at the time.

Dwarfism is a genetic disorder that runs in Jackson’s family, and sleep apnea is common in infants born with affliction. During the course of the sleep study, Jackson’s oxygen levels and heart rate rapidly dropped to levels that were considered to be dangerously low.

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According to the couple, thirty minutes later, medical professionals informed a nurse that something was wrong and that Jackson was in cardi@c @rrest. CPR was attempted on Michael Jackson by hospital staff, but the damage to his brain was too extensive, and 12 days later, his family decided to turn off life support.

Amount Awarded by Boston Children Hospital to Massachusetts Couple Whose Son Died After Sleep Study — Amount Awarded by Boston Children’s Hospital to Massachusetts Couple Whose Son Di*d After Sleep Study

According to the Kekulas, an inquiry by the Department of Public Health of Massachusetts determined that Jackson was left without oxygen for more than 20 minutes due to a series of errors committed by hospital workers.

“They kept looking at the machines thinking it was the sensors that were off, and they never thought to look at the baby and check to see if he was breathing properly,” Jackson’s mother told WCVB News in Boston.

Becky Kekula said:

“I keep telling people; Year 2 is harder than Year 1. I think now that it is settled, there’s still a big hole because we’d much rather have him here than any amount of money.”

The parents of Jackson have revealed that sharing their son’s story is a crucial part of their healing journey. As a result, they have declined to sign a nondisclosure agreement as part of the settlement. The Kekulas expressed their hope that Jackson’s story would serve as a cautionary tale and prevent future tragedies.

According to the Boston Globe, an examination by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health concluded that Jackson went without oxygen for 20 minutes while being tested. The 6-month-old infant sustained a significant brain inju*y during that time and had to be placed on life support.

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In a recent interview, the parents shared details about their $15 million settlement with Boston Children’s Hospital and the unfortunate events that preceded it. According to the parents, sharing their experiences is a crucial aspect of their recovery journey, and they aspire to prevent future tragedies.

In relation to this case, Boston Children’s Hospital has released the following statement to NewsCenter 5:

“We express our deepest condolences and apologize to the family for the loss of their son. Following this incident, we immediately stopped all sleep studies and began a thorough review of what occurred. We examined our policies, staff training, competencies, and all systems that support sleep lab studies, including scheduling, ordering, triaging, and performing the actual study.

We identified and implemented several improvements for how we conduct sleep studies, including a revision of responsibilities of team members; hands-on skills training and education for sleep lab staff; enhanced sleep technologist orientation and ongoing training; modification of the ordering and triage process that assesses potential risks to patients; and a review of the environment in which testing is conducted.

After this review and implementation of these improvements, sleep studies were reinstated in a phased manner to ensure patient safety. We maintain our system-wide commitment to prioritizing and improving quality and safety as the foundation of all the care provided at Boston Children’s Hospital.”

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