Kota Kinabalu: Zara Qairina Mahathir was found unconscious with the lowest possible score on a coma assessment scale, the Coroner’s Court heard on Tuesday.
Assistant Medical Officer Mohd Faiszal Md Saimi, 40, said Zara’s condition was assessed at three out of 15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale which is a medical measure used to determine a patient’s level of consciousness, indicating the most severe state.
The 69th deponent also stated in his witness statement that during the journey to bring Zara to Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), he monitored her vital signs, which were within normal range, with blood pressure at 108/83 mmHg, pulse rate at 82 beats per minute, respiratory rate at 20 per minute and oxygen saturation at 98 per cent on room air.
He administered oxygen using a high-flow mask and inserted a green branula into the victim’s right hand while on the way to QEH 1.
Mohd Faiszal told the court he first assessed Zara by calling her name, but there was no response.
“I then checked her airway and found that she was breathing normally.
“For further assessment, I examined her eyes and found that she did not react to light.
“There was no sound or verbal response from the patient, and she showed no physical response,” he said.
Mohd Faiszal further testified that he did not observe any injury to the back of Zara’s head due to her thick hair and that he had to prioritise airway stability, adding that there was no active bleeding at the time.
“I did not see any injury at the back of her head because her hair was thick.
“I was unable to carry out a detailed examination as I needed to ensure the victim’s airway remained stable and the bleeding was also not active,” he said.
According to Mohd Faiszal, he received a call from QEH at about 3.23am on July 16 regarding a student who was found unconscious at the hostel of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha.
He then prepared and left Klinik Kesihatan Kinarut at about 3.34am in an ambulance driven by his colleague, arriving at the school around 3.45am.
Upon arrival, a security guard directed them to the girls’ hostel, where he saw many teachers, students and security personnel gathered.
“At the scene, I saw a female student lying on the concrete floor beside the hostel building. She was wearing a white sports shirt and black track bottoms,” he said.
He asked those present what had happened and was informed by a female teacher that the student had fallen from the third floor, although there were no eyewitnesses.
After making the initial assessment on Zara, he immediately fitted a cervical collar to stabilise her neck with the assistance of a male teacher.
He noticed traces of blood on his gloves and observed deformities on the girl’s left ankle and left wrist, believed to be fractures.
He also found a puncture wound on the left heel, likely caused by a protruding broken bone.
He dressed the wound and applied splints to the injured limbs before requesting additional equipment, including a scoop stretcher, stretcher and blanket, from the ambulance.
With the help of a female teacher and a security guard, Zara was carefully lifted onto the scoop stretcher and then transferred onto a stretcher before being moved into the ambulance.
Mohd Faiszal said he fitted a cervical collar on Zara’s neck with the assistance of a male teacher and noticed some blood on his gloves.
He further testified that they then directly transported Zara to QEH 1 accompanied by a female teacher.
“We arrived at the hospital’s emergency department at about 4.27am, where she was taken to the critical resuscitation zone on the instruction of hospital staff.
“I then transferred the patient to a bed and handed over the case to emergency unit personnel before leaving with my colleague and returning to Klinik Kesihatan Kinarut,” said Mohd Faiszal.
He also told the court that no photographs were taken at the scene, as departmental regulations prohibit taking pictures to protect patient privacy.
