The life of late Sylvester Oromoni, the Dowen College student who died late last year as a result of alleged bullying could have been saved with a heavy dosage of antibiotics, fluid and blood transfusion, according to a pathologist, Dr Sunday Soyemi of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital(LASUTH).
Dr Soyemi said this on Tuesday while giving evidence before a Lagos Coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kaidiri who is currently conducting an inquest into the cause of death of the deceased. According to the pathologist, he discovered while conducting autopsy on the deceased that he had several infections.
He said that part of the autopsy carried out on the deceased showed a generalized infection of the body. He described part of his finding as Lobar pneumonia. “It was an infection of the lungs, the deceased also had infection of the liver, the kidneys, infection of the right arm, the soft tissue of the muscles covering the bone below the ankle”
He added; “This could have been treated. What could have been used in the treatment was massive doses of antibiotics, intravenous fluid and blood transfusion”, adding that based on his finding, his illness could have been properly managed if he was taken for proper treatment.
He further told the Coroner that a blackish substance was found in the intestine of the deceased, saying that he (deceased) died of Septicemia. This means blood poisoning, especially occasioned by bacteria or their toxins. Septicemia is caused by an infection in another part of your body. Many types of bacteria can lead to septicemia, and the exact source of the infection often can’t be determined. The most common infections that lead to septicemia are: urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Dr Soyemi however revealed during cross examination by the deceased family lawyer, Femi Falana SAN that a toxicology test was not conducted on the deceased to determine whether he was poisoned. According to him, LASUTH where the autopsy was conducted did not have the facility to carry out toxicology tests.
Toxicology is a field of science that helps us understand the harmful effects that chemicals, substances, or situations, can have on people, animals, and the environment. The dose of the chemical or substance a person is exposed to is another important factor in toxicology.
Explaining the reason for not conducting the toxicology test, Dr Soyemi said: “I needed to take the blood, the fluid, the vitreous and send it to the laboratory and the gastric content. All these were not available at the second autopsy.
“The stomach had been opened by the first pathologist and nothing was found. The blood, urine had been sucked out during embalming of the deceased by the hospital.”
Falana further asked if it was proper for one of the 14 persons present at the post mortem, Dr. Iwikwe Chikwodili Isabella who represented one of the accused students to speak on Arise TV about autopsy findings, the pathologist said, “That’s not the practice. It is not normal and not the usual thing. He also said he was embarrassed when the report was being discussed on TV.
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