A TRAGIC 13-year-old girl collapsed and died following an asthma attack, an inquest was told.

Anna-Lee Kehoe suddenly collapsed from an asthma attack in her home in Queen’s Road, Bridport, on July 22, 2011.

Despite being treated by paramedics and taken by helicopter to Dorset County Hospital she died the next day, an inquest at County Hall in Dorchester was told.

But her family are now hoping that her death will lead to greater awareness of asthma and how serious it can be.

They want people to donate to asthma research in her memory. Her mum Helen Kehoe described Anna-Lee as a ‘typical teenager’.

She said: “Anna-Lee had asthma since she was born.

“On the day it happened Anna-Lee went to the bathroom and then called out ‘Mum I can’t breathe’.

“I went in to her and got her inhaler but she still couldn’t breathe and within a few minutes she had collapsed. I called 999 and they told me to start CPR.”

Paramedics arrived at the house within around five minutes and found Anna-Lee unresponsive before she went into cardiac arrest.

The crew treated her on the scene with drugs, CPR and an intubation tube to get oxygen into her body.

Paramedic Tobias Rihm said the tube was checked and double-checked to ensure it was in the right place in her lungs.

She was taken by helicopter to Dorset County Hospital, and on the flight a reading of her heart activity showed there was no pulse.

Dr Sean Santos, who took over care of her breathing at the hospital, discovered the tube was in her stomach instead of her lungs.

He said: “When I took over I immediately checked the position of the tube. The bottom of the tube was in the oesophagus, the displacement could have happened at any transfer at any point.”

Anna-Lee was later transferred to Southampton General Hospital where she died.

A post mortem report found the cause of death was cerebral hypoxia, lack of oxygen in the brain, due to acute asthma. Pathologist Dr Sue Holden said: “All the findings of the post mortem were consistent with Anna-Lee having a severe asthma attack which caused her collapse.”

Dorset Coroner Sheriff Payne said it was impossible to tell when the tube became displaced and gave a narrative verdict. He said: “Anna-Lee died of natural causes in circumstances when a tube became displaced at some stage during necessary emergency treatment which included transfer from her home to helicopter to the hospital.

“It is not possible to determine when this happened or if this contributed to her death.

“I extend my condolences to her family and am glad to see she has so many supporters who have come to this inquest.”

Remember her by aiding research

ANNA-LEE Kehoe’s mum Helen has called for more people to donate to asthma research in memory of her daughter.

Anna-Lee, 13, suffered from asthma all of her life and shortly before her death in July 2011 she’d had a severe attack necessitating paramedics who treated her for two and a half hours.

But mum Helen, 42, knows that nothing could have saved her daughter on the day she died.

She said: “I don’t think a lot of people realise how bad asthma is.

“When she had an asthma attack, she could have been doing anything and all of a sudden it comes on.

“You can’t really tell when it is going to happen. It so often affects children and there are quite a few who die.

“I would like to encourage people to support charities that do research.”

Helen also paid tribute to the ambulance and helicopter crews who came to help Anna.

She said: “They were brilliant. I just think everybody did what they could and that is some comfort to me. They were here quickly and did a really good job.”

Although the inquest revealed that at some point a resuscitation tube was in Anna’s stomach not her lungs Helen said she did not think it would have made any difference.

She also said she understood the need to gather all the medical evidence that meant the inquest took place so long after Anna's death.