A couple in New Mexico fighting to save their premature son’s life were horrified to learn that in December a nurse accidentally clipped off the infant’s left pinky toe while cutting away tape that was used to hold an IV in place.

“I don’t think that should have even happened,” Erica Hogue told TV station KOB 4. “It just makes me angry that something like this could happen.”

According to KOB 4, Erica gave birth to twin sons Davante and Delante in an emergency cesarean section at just 29 weeks last June at UNM Hospital in Farmington, N.M.

The 8-month-old boys have struggled to survive, but Delante recovered and is home with his family while Davante has fought to survive a brain bleed and much more. He has continuous intubation and a tracheotomy, had g-tube surgery and has a hole in his heart. All of these complications have weakened the infant.

She said the hospital said because of the brain bleed, he may never walk, talk, see or hear.

“They (the hospital) told us they could let him go because he got a stage-3 brain bleed,” Hogue said.

But Hogue and her husband made the decision to continue to fight for him. “We were going to take our son whatever way he came to us.”

An orthopedic surgeon stitched around his toe and placed him in a leg cast, she said, but circulation could not be returned and the toe was lost.
Hogue said she was told that the hospital investigated the incident.

“The only thing that they could do is use a different tape,” Hogue said.

She also said the hospital apologized.

“For me, that is just not enough. I believe that my baby is worth so much more than that,” she said.

UNM Hospital declined to comment, but Hogue said she and her husband are considering legal action in the future.

“Our priority is getting our son home where he belongs,” Hogue said.

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Christina Sonsire

csonsire@zifflaw.com