A 3-day-old baby, coming in for something unrelated, is found to have a heart murmur. Our paediatric cardiologist thinks it sounds like a patent ductus arteriosus (a blood vessel connecting a heart's main artery to a main vein during foetal development that was meant to close at birth) or a ventricular septal defect (hole in the heart). Both could lead to heart failure, poor growth, and baby death.

Said paediatric cardiologist tells the parents their baby needs a heart trace (ECG), an ultrasound of the heart to see its structure (echocardiogram), and a chest x-ray.

Parents refuse all three.

The doctor asks why.

Dad (who has no medical background) tells the doctor the investigations are "not necessary". Because the baby didn't have a heart murmur at birth (actually, the baby wasn't found to have a murmur at birth, not that baby didn't, necessarily) therefore the baby can't possibly have one now. Even though the consultant paediatric cardiologist found one. And the consultant tells them the investigations are actually necessary. And actually is qualified to advise as such.

The doctor tells them the risks of not investigating and treating for the above conditions, including baby death.

Parents still refuse and just want the initial admitting complaint addressed.

My condolences to the baby.