A VERDICT of medical misadventure was returned by a jury yesterday at the inquest into the death of a five-day-old baby boy who suffered spinal cord and internal head injuries during a forceps delivery at a Cork hospital.
Diarmuid Campbell, Castlerock, Midleton, Co Cork, was born at Cork University Maternity Hospital on October 5th, 2009, but died five days later.
Consultant obstetrician Dr Matt Hewitt told the inquest he had been brought in for a second opinion after it emerged that the baby’s head was facing the wrong way around after descending into his mother’s pelvis when she went into a long labour.
Dr Hewitt said the woman was fully dilated at this stage and performing a Caesarean section carried serious risks to both the mother and baby. He felt it was better to try to rotate the head to allow for a vaginal delivery.
He attempted unsuccessfully to do this manually and felt using a suction cap also carried risks, so he used a pair of Kielland’s forceps which, unlike straight forceps which were used for traction, were used specifically in cases where a baby had to be rotated.
Dr Hewitt said he checked to see if there was any resistance to rotation. He would not have proceeded if there was but the baby rotated with ease.
He applied the forceps to the sides of the baby’s head and rotated him to allow for delivery.
He had never come across a case where a baby had suffered cerebral damage from Kielland’s forceps.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said the cause of death was high cervical spinal cord injuries with associated bleeding, following a forceps delivery.
Cork city coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said it had been a very difficult inquest for the family but hoped it had clarified the issues for them. She extended her “heartfelt condolences”.