Fareham toddler died after eating Toilet Duck cleaning capsule, inquest hears

Arietta-Grace Barnett, from Sarisbury Green was taken to hospital after her mother reported she may have ingested the cleaner on June 28, 2019, and began vomiting a ‘bright pink’ liquid, the Winchester hearing was told.

She was declared well enough to leave hospital on July 2 before attending an outpatient appointment the following day.

But after the youngster began bleeding on July 9, she was readmitted to Southampton General Hospital and died later that day.

Coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said Arietta-Grace was believed to have swallowed a Toilet Duck capsule.

She said: ‘On June 28, 2019, Lucy Cook called 111 concerned her daughter Arietta-Grace may have swallowed a cleaning product while mum was downstairs, Arietta was upstairs.

‘An ambulance was called and Arietta was suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting that was reported as pink in colour.

‘She was admitted to hospital and remained there until July 2 when she was discharged.

‘She went to an outpatient clinic on July 3 and sadly she was readmitted to hospital on July 9 in cardiac arrest having suffered bleeding at home earlier that day.

‘It wasn’t possible to revive Arietta and she died in hospital.’

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Ms Rhodes-Kemp said it was unclear why the vomit was pink when the Toilet Duck capsule Arietta-Grace was suspected to have swallowed was a blue/green colour.

She said Arietta-Grace’s mother Mrs Cook had pink hair at the time but she had told doctors there was no hair dye in the house.

Dr Nicola Trevelyan, consultant paediatrician at Southampton General Hospital, said: ‘We couldn’t make sense of why the vomit was bright pink.’

She said that no-one had seen Arietta-Grace swallow the capsule, but added: ‘That seemed to be the most logical thing she might have taken.

‘My experience as a paediatrician is that products that look like sweets will attract children to play with them.’

Dr Trevelyan said although Arietta-Grace continued to have difficulty taking on fluids and food while admitted to hospital, she stopped vomiting and her condition appeared to improve.

The inquest continues.

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