National Chairman of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), Elechi Oyim, has expressed profound sorrow over the tragic death of Nkanu, the son of the literary icon, Chimamanda Adichie, describing the incident as a deeply distressing loss and a grave patient-safety concern that demands urgent national reflection and accountability.
 
As additional credible facts continue to emerge, reports indicate that propofol was administered continuously as a sedative to a child under the age of three. 

According to a statement by Oyim, the practice is in direct conflict with established international anaesthesia and paediatric safety guidelines, which clearly caution against prolonged propofol infusion in young children due to the risk of Propofol Infusion Syndrome (PRIS), a rare but well-documented complication associated with high morbidity and mortality.
 
He pointed out that international anaesthesia safety authorities have long warned that continuous or high-dose propofol infusions in paediatric patients, particularly in intensive care settings, are associated with severe metabolic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, cardiac failure, and death.      
 
The AHAPN boss noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has consistently emphasised that paediatric medication safety requires heightened vigilance, multidisciplinary oversight, and strict adherence to evidence-based protocols, especially when high-risk medicines are involved.
 
Also, guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Oyim said, expressly states that propofol is not approved for long-term sedation in paediatric intensive care units, citing multiple fatalities linked to PRIS.

The Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (APAGBI) further emphasise that propofol infusions in young children should be avoided or used only under exceptional circumstances, with stringent monitoring and clear clinical justification.
 
From a clinical governance and patient-safety perspective, he stressed that this incident represents a serious deviation from accepted international standards of care. “The ethical principle of non-maleficence—’first, do no harm’—places an obligation on healthcare systems to ensure that high-risk clinical decisions are subject to structured, independent, and multidisciplinary review, “ he added.