The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Hong Kong Children's Hospital (HKCH) issued the following statement today (March 28) concerning an incident involving a patient who was found in cardiac arrest after temporary ventilator circuit disconnection.

     A 6-year-old boy was admitted to HKCH on December 24, 2025, due to his underlying rare disease. On March 25 this year, he underwent an interventional procedure under general anaesthesia, which was uneventful. Afterwards, he was transferred to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) as planned for monitoring. In the PICU, he was kept intubated and placed on ventilator support for his protection. He was sedated with medications but remained conscious.

     At 7.29am on March 26, a nurse found the patient in cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was commenced immediately on the patient. At the same time, the endotracheal (ET) tube connector was found disconnected from the ET tube and was immediately reconnected to the ventilator circuit. After resuscitation, the patient had returned to spontaneous circulation at 7.36am. His parents were immediately informed about the incident and the patient's condition. The hospital subsequently retrieved the patient's physiological monitor records which revealed that the patient had asystole from 7.20am.

     Subsequently, the patient developed seizures which were controlled with anti-epileptic medications. Initial neurological investigations show no abnormalities so far. The patient is under intensive care including ventilator support and neuroprotective care. He remains haemodymically stable and is under close monitoring in the PICU.

     The hospital is deeply concerned about the incident and has met with the parents to explain the situation. The hospital will continue to provide necessary support to the family. The case was reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System. The hospital has taken immediate measures to strengthen the monitoring of patients requiring ventilator care in the intensive care unit.

     A root cause analysis panel will be set up to investigate the incident and recommend improvement measures. The panel will look into the incident from all aspects, including but not limited to patient care and support, as well as operational procedures of medical devices and consumables.

     The panel members are as follows:

Chairperson
Dr Sin Ngai-chuen
Hospital Chief Executive, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and Tai Po Hospital

Members
Dr Janice Chow
Consultant, Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital

Ms Pilta Kan
Nurse Consultant, Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital

Dr Raymond Cheung
Chief Manager (Patient Safety and Risk Management), Hospital Authority

Dr Osburga Chan
Service Director (Quality and Safety), Kowloon Central Cluster

Dr Eric Chan
Deputy Chief of Service, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Kwong Wah Hospital

Dr Sally Wong
Deputy Quality and Safety Coordinator, Hong Kong Children's Hospital

     The panel will complete the investigation and recommend improvement measures within eight weeks. The report will be submitted to the Hospital Authority Head Office.

Ends/Saturday, March 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 19:40

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