By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles

Paramedic Says Ambulance Wasn’t Properly Equipped to Help Child

Mar 21, 2016 | 5:34 PM

LETHBRIDGE: The first medical professional to see Ezekiel Stephan on the night he stopped breathing in March of 2012, took the stand Monday in the trial against the boy’s parents.

David and Collet Stephan face a charge of failing to provide the necessities of life, for not seeking medical attention for Ezekiel until after he stopped breathing. Through the trial it has been revealed that he died of bacterial meningitis.

Paramedic Kenneth Cherniawski testified that on the night of March 13, 2012, an urgent call came in to meet a vehicle coming from Glenwood, with a child dealing with cardiac arrest. They met the vehicle about four minutes outside of Cardston, and Cherniawski noted that Ezekiel wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse so he started CPR.

The first step they took in assisting Ezekiel was to use a bag valve mask, however the one size they had onboard was for a child eight to 10 years of age, and was too big to do any good for the 18-month old. The second attempt was with a laryngeal mask airway, but again they didn’t have the proper size. They were finally able to establish an airway and get oxygen into the child using an endotracheal tube, although once again, Cherniawski stated that it was the wrong size and wasn’t as effective as it could have been.

From the time they arrived to the moment Ezekiel’s chest started rising and falling, was eight minutes and 11 seconds.

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During cross examination by the defence, Cherniawski noted that up until about a year before that night, they had a number of bag valve mask sizes on each ambulance, including the one needed for Ezekiel. He says when ambulance control went from the municipal level to Alberta Health Services, the number of masks was dramatically limited, along with other equipment. He also testified that within one week of that night, AHS fully equipped all of the ambulances with masks for younger children.

While the trial had been scheduled to wrap up this Thursday, it’s now anticipated that more time will be needed.