‘No paediatric doctor in theatre when tragic twin was delivered’

THERE was no paediatric doctor in theatre at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital when a premature twin boy was born unresponsive by caesarean section, an inquest has heard.

And a midwife had to run to a staff room to trigger an emergency call as the phone in the theatre was out of order, the coroner’s court was told.

Baby Ethan Carson died 15 minutes after delivery. His twin brother Andrew survived.

His mother Barbara Carson told his inquest yesterday: ‘We were stunned and shocked. We realised quickly there was no paediatric doctor present in the theatre for Ethan. I was crying and kept asking, “Where was the doctor?’’

‘I could hear all the chaos and people running around. It was the most helpless moment of my life.’

Baby Ethan was born unresponsive at 36 weeks’ gestation on September 11, 2015.

The infant’s parents had picked out two babygros for their boys as they waited to be called into theatre for a caesarean section, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard. ‘We were both terrified and excited in anticipation of meeting our boys,’ their mother said.

The first twin, baby, Andrew, was born at 2.33pm. He did not cry immediately, his mother said. Ethan followed but was ‘in a bad way’, according to obstetrician Dr Maeve Eogan. Midwife Sarah Campbell said a nurse present was instructed to trigger the emergency ‘baby collapse bleep’ immediately after baby Ethan’s delivery.

She said she saw the nurse pick up the theatre’s phone and then put it down and leave the room.

‘I was notified after the case had ended that the phone was out of order,’ she said. She began chest compressions on baby Ethan.

‘I asked the paediatrician present for assistance, but twin one, Andrew, was also needing urgent attention,’ she said.

When the nurse returned to theatre and said the baby bleep had not been put out, Ms Campbell ran to the lobby to get help.

‘There was at least one anaesthetic nurse and two midwives there [in the staff room]. I requested immediate help,’ she said. Despite resuscitation efforts, baby Ethan was pronounced dead at 2.53pm. Andrew was transferred to intensive care and went on to make a full recovery.

‘We are left struggling to understand how this tragedy happened and why did baby Ethan die,’ Mrs Carson said. She kept her baby with her until he was taken away to the mortuary.

The inquest continues today.