The death of a 32-year-old woman who had undergone fertility treatment at Dublin's Rotunda Hospital earlier this year had devastated the hospital's Human Assisted Reproduction unit, an inquest into her death heard yesterday. Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent, reports.
Prof Robert Harrison, director of the unit, told the inquest no words could adequately express "our regrets" for what happened to Mrs Jacqueline Rushton. He said all at the unit, from the bottom of their hearts, wanted to express to Mrs Rushton's family how sorry they were for what happened.
Dublin City Coroner Dr Brian Farrell heard that Mrs Rushton from Ardleigh Park in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, had attended the unit after being referred by a consultant at her local hospital.
She underwent IVF treatment during 2002 and died in January 2003 from Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome which was a rare complication of ovarian hyperstimulation, according to Dr Niall Mulligan, a consultant at the Mater Hospital who carried out a post-mortem examination.
Mrs Rushton's husband, Danny, and her mother and father, Angela and Fintan Hickey, as well as other family members, were present for the hearing.
Prof Harrison said Mrs Rushton and her husband were supplied with an information booklet which set out all the possible complications. They were given counselling and attended an information meeting before going ahead with the treatment. Mrs Rushton, who had an ovulation problem, was given a drug called Recombinant FSH (Puregon) to stimulate her ovaries to produce eggs in November 2002, he said. Her condition was monitored in the following days and scans on December 2nd showed an overreaction to the treatment. Mrs Rushton complained of abdominal pain.
The overreaction was detected from the number of follicles, which would contain eggs, which had been achieved, he said. Her treatment dose was halved.
Her oestrogen levels reached more than three times the upper normal level, Prof Harrison said, and he discussed with the couple the danger of her developing ovarian hyperstimulation and asked them to consider abandoning the treatment. They opted to continue with it.
On December 8th some 33 eggs were harvested by Prof Harrison. The couple were advised to freeze them and leave implantation until things had settled down. This they did.
After this Mrs Rushton was to go home, he said. However, she was sore and partially fainted, so it was decided to admit her to the hospital for observation. Two days later she showed exhibited mild symptoms of ovarian hyperstimulation. Within days she had symptoms of severe hyperstimulation. After a few weeks she seemed to be over the hyperstimulation but she collapsed. She was put on a ventilator which was switched off on January 14th, 2003.
The inquest adjourned to February.