Hospital Trust admits that baby’s death could have been prevented

A Norfolk hospital has acknowledged that giving a timely emergency caesarean section to a mother in their care could have saved her baby boy’s life.

Ms Y was giving birth to twins at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn and had successfully delivered the first baby naturally, a little girl. Her unborn baby boy’s heartbeat then dropped and it became apparent that he was not getting sufficient oxygen. He was delivered approximately half an hour later but, despite good emergency aftercare, sadly died a few weeks later, having been too greatly damaged by the prolonged oxygen deprivation.

The findings of the subsequent inquest into his death determined that a combination of insufficient monitoring and late realisation that he was in the breech position were contributing factors, meaning that a caesarean was then not possible. His subsequent breech delivery took three times as long as it should have done and he was born lifeless and floppy.

If Ms Y had been rushed into theatre for an emergency caesarean section, her little boy would have been born having suffered less than 12 minutes of reduced oxygen supply. Although he would still probably have suffered some brain damage, he would have been able to grow and develop as part of the family.

Amanda Cavanagh, a medical negligence lawyer at Ashtons Legal, has been representing Ms Y. She comments: “The family have been left bereft by the loss of their second twin, following his traumatic birth and subsequent death, not least because it is acknowledged that had his birth been handled differently he would have survived. The family are grateful to HM Coroner Yvonne Blake for her conclusion and to the NHS Trust for their admission of the failures in care provided to this baby boy. The family hope that the outcome of this investigation will support measures being put in place to avoid other families having to experience the pain and suffering that they have endured.”