Oliver Steeper inquest: nine-month-old had ‘significant amount of food debris’ in airway

Doctors found a nine-month-old baby boy had a ‘significant amount of food debris’ in his airway after he suffered a choking episode while being fed at a nursery in Kent, an inquest has heard. 

Oliver Steeper died in a London hospital on 29TH September 2021, six days after the incident at the Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford.

In a statement read to the hearing, Dr Paul James said he performed a bronchoscopy on Oliver at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital on 24 September 2021.

The procedure involved a flexible camera being inserted into the child’s airway, the jury was told. 

Dr James, a consultant in paediatric intensive care, said he found “fluid material” and a “significant amount of debris” in Oliver’s main airway.

These “food remnants” were “removed by suction” during the bronchoscopy, Dr James added. 

The consultant’s statement clarified that the “food debris was a significant amount and could occlude [obstruct] the airways” and that “more than half his approximate airway was occluded by food debris”. 

There should be “no foreign material in the airway”, Dr James’ statement added. 

The consultant described the material found in the airway as soft white gelatinous material.

The inquest had previously been told that Oliver choked on a mixture of finely chopped mince and pasta at the day nursery.

He was one of four children being looked after by one nursery worker when he got into difficulty, the hearing was told.

The inquest continues.

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