Four calls were made asking for help, inquest into baby death is told

Sofia Wlodarczyk was born with very low heart rate and died one day later

Four separate calls seeking medical assistance were made in the space of 12 minutes around the birth of a baby girl with a very low heart rate five years ago, an inquest has heard.

The baby, Sofia Wlodarczyk, was pronounced dead at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin on March 23, 2019 – less than 24 hours after her birth at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

Counsel Roger Murray SC told a sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court yesterday that the baby girl’s parents, Katerina Hubayova and Marcin Wlodarczyk, who are originally from Slovakia, were concerned that four separate calls had been made for assistance between 2.18pm and 2.30pm at Our Lady’s Hospital on March 22, 2019.

“The family’s position is that minutes count and seconds count,” said Mr Murray.

The inquest heard that Sofia was “pale and made no effort to breathe” at the time of her delivery at 2.22pm by vacuum-assisted birth.

Evidence from a number of midwives who attended Ms Hubayova at the time confirmed Sofia had a normal heartbeat up to 2.10pm.

However, it had fallen to 50 beats per minute when next measured at 2.17pm after some difficulty in getting a reading.

A call was made for assistance from a registrar a minute later followed by a major emergency call after another two minutes.

The inquest heard that a healthcare assistant who had been asked by a midwife to seek the assistance of a paediatric consultant had instead activated the major emergency call.

Coroner Clare Keane was told the emergency team, minus the consultant, arrived a minute later.

Another call for paediatric consultant Emma Gordon was made at 2.25pm and she arrived at 2.27pm.

An emergency call was made for further assistance with the resuscitation of the baby at 2.30pm.

Counsel for Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Rebecca Graydon BL, claimed a rationale and explanation had been offered for each of the calls seeking medical assistance.

Dr Keane said the rest of the evidence from other witnesses would need to be heard to understand what was happening at the time.

The inquest will resume today when further evidence will be heard over attempts to resuscitate Sofia, as well as about the cause of her death.

In earlier evidence, a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician at Our Lady of Lourdes, Etap Akpan, told the inquest that Ms Hubayova had been assessed as a low-risk patient at an antenatal clinic who had opted for midwife-led care.

Dr Akpan acknowledged that there had been concern about the poor rate of foetal growth from a scan taken on February 4, 2019.

However, the consultant said a second scan taken two weeks later showed foetal growth was back at expected levels.

Dr Akpan said baby Sofia had been delivered promptly within four minutes of concern being raised about her low heartbeat.