Medico Shamna Tasneem died of allergy: Forensic Department

KOCHI: The histopathological test result, the final one in the post-mortem of Shamna Tasneem, MBBS student of Ernakulam Government Medical College, is understood to have revealed that Shamna’s viral infection of H3N2 did not lead to her sudden death. “The virus did not cause the death by causing sudden failure of vital organs like lungs, heart or brain and the death was not due to pneumonitis, myocarditis or encephalitis hitting these organs respectively. Under such circumstances it can only be reasonably concluded that the death was as a result of the drug allergic reaction,” said forensic department sou-rces at Alappuzha Medical College.

The virology lab results conducted at Alappuzha TD Medical College had earlier found that she had influenza A sub-type H3N2. The sources also said that post-mortem cannot find whether adrenaline was injected immediately after she collapsed following the administering of antibiotic injection ceftriaxone. The adrenaline injection is needed to resuscitate such patients. There were allegations that this was not given to her in time.

The forensic wing is understood to have given a preliminary report to the Kalamassery police after obtaining the virology lab results confirming influenza A. The report has listed out its findings while the associate professor and deputy police surgeon Dr Liza John, who undertook the post-mortem, reserved her opinion pending the results of laboratory investigations. The final report containing the findings in the histopathological tests and the opinion of Dr Liza John will be released to the police in two days, said the sources.

Further investigation will be based on these findings and opinion. A medical board too will be constituted after that to probe the allegations of medical negligence. Meanwhile, Shamna’s father K.A. Abootty, along with some relatives and escorted by a policeman,  visited the medical college and the hostel where she stayed. He collected her belongings and certificates and turned emotional as he met her classmates and the college faculty. He said her life could have been saved if timely medical care was given after she collapsed.