Hong Kong Children's Hospital announces an incident involving a patient who was found in cardiac arrest after temporary ventilator circuit disconnection
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.
Source: AI-found images
Hong Kong resident detained for illegal work in Southeast Asian country rescued
The Security Bureau (SB) today (March 28) said that after the SB dedicated task force received a request for assistance from a Hong Kong resident detained for illegal work in Myanmar earlier, the SB immediately liaised with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok (Bangkok ETO), as well as the relevant Thai authorities, and launched a joint rescue operation promptly. The SB's Government Security Officer, Mr Joe Chan, also immediately led the dedicated task force comprising members from the SB, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Immigration Department to arrive in Thailand yesterday (March 27) to follow up on the incident.
The Hong Kong resident was rescued and transferred to Thailand yesterday. The dedicated task force arranged him to meet with his family in Thailand once he was in good mental and physical condition. The Hong Kong resident said he felt like experiencing a horror movie in the past few days and thanked the task force members for visiting Thailand to save him from detention. Pleased with the family reunion, the family members said they had learnt a precious lesson and commended the speedy and effective rescue mission. The dedicated task force members will make arrangements for his return to Hong Kong as soon as possible, and will continue to follow up to investigate his case after his return.
While in Thailand, the dedicated task force met with the Commander of Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, Central Investigation Bureau of Royal Thai Police, Police Major General Vitthaya Sripasertpap, to discuss the support arrangement for the Hong Kong resident after his rescue. The dedicated task force also met with personnel from the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand to thank for their continued efforts on the case, as well as their appropriate and practicable assistance for the individual and his family. In addition, the dedicated task force had a meeting with officials of the Bangkok ETO to learn about the latest local situation.
The SB expressed gratitude to various parties including the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Bangkok ETO, as well as the relevant Thai authorities, for their support and assistance, resulting in a prompt and smooth operation.
Since 2024 to date, the law enforcement agencies have received a total of 32 request-for-assistance cases in relation to Hong Kong residents alleged to have been detained in Southeast Asian countries and not being able to leave. Apart from the above-mentioned case, 28 of them have already returned to Hong Kong and two needed no further assistance and follow-up. The dedicated task force will continue to actively follow up on the remaining request-for-assistance case and provide appropriate advice and practicable assistance to the assistance seeker and the family.
Hong Kong resident detained for illegal work in Southeast Asian country rescued Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong resident detained for illegal work in Southeast Asian country rescued Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong resident detained for illegal work in Southeast Asian country rescued Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong resident detained for illegal work in Southeast Asian country rescued Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
