Doctor tells tribunal she possibly tried too hard

Dr Vaishnavy Laxman tells of unborn baby’s death at Ninewells

A senior NHS gynaecologist accused of causing an unborn baby to be accidentally decapitated inside her mother’s womb, has told a disciplinary tribunal she may have tried “too hard’’ to complete a successful delivery.

Dr Vaishnavy Laxman, 43, had been nearing the end of a 24-hour shift on a maternity unit in Dundee.

The 30-year old patient’s premature infant was in a breech position.

Dr Laxman tried to carry out the delivery naturally instead of by an emergency Caesarean section.

Tragedy struck when the doctor urged the patient to push whilst herself applying traction to the baby’s legs.

“The manoeuvre caused the infant’s legs, arms and torso to become detached leaving the head still in his mother’s womb.

Two other doctors subsequently carried out a Caesarean section on the woman to remove the infant’s head.

It is claimed the mother was not even in established labour at the time.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, Dr Laxman wept as she relived the procedure and said the youngster would have died had a Caesarean section been carried out.

She said: ‘’I was trying to deliver a live baby, I was trying really hard, possibly too hard.

“I did not intend to harm mum or the baby.

“I am distraught at the outcome and I am very sorry it did not come out the way I meant it.”

The incident occurred on March 16 2014 while Dr Laxman was working at Ninewells Hospital with a team of other doctors.

The woman’s waters had broken early at 25 weeks and upon examination her unborn baby was found to have a prolapsed cord, was in a breech position whilst the mother’s cervix was around 4cm dilated.

It can be 10cm fully dilated. Dr Laxman had started work at 8.30am the previous day and went home at 6pm for five hours before returning to the hospital at 11pm.

She was told about the patient at 2am and was subsequently paged at 8.30am to take a look at her when her condition became more critical.

She told the tribunal: “The plan was for the baby to be delivered by a Caesarian section and I went down to the labour suite to discuss the situation.

“I spoke to the patient saying I was sorry for the rush and I remember saying the baby was quite small and I was going to examine her,” she said.

Under cross-examination she said: “During the course of my training I delivered a lot of babies in the UK and India.

“Some in breech positions, some with prolapsed cords, some as premature babies.

“I did have experience with this. “But I have never had everything with one patient before.

“It was a lot of complications,” she said.

“I wanted to do what was best for Patient A and the baby and give the baby the best possible chance of survival,” she added.

“The C section would have been technically difficult and we didn’t have much time.

“I agree I should not have persisted with my hands over the period of time when I knew the head was stuck with head entrapment.

“I wish that stopped at some point before the decapitation could happen.

“It was a very small baby, very fragile, so I didn’t apply too much force. Too much force over a period of time probably would have led to the decapitation.

“When the head was entrapped I should have desisted with my hands to keep trying to deliver the baby. I don’t think a C section would have given us a live baby.

“Over a period of time I did apply traction. I think I should have stopped trying to deliver the baby, I should have stopped.

“But nobody told me the baby had died until it was decapitated.

“If I was doing it again, and I knew what I knew back then, I think I still would have made the same decision, but I would have stopped trying to deliver the head sooner.”

Dr Laxman denies misconduct. The hearing continues.

The C section would have been technically difficult and we didn’t have much time. DR VAISHNAVY LAXMAN

Dr Vaishnavy Laxman said she did not believe a Caesarean section would have given a live baby.