Scanner currently in use at Holles Street may injure babies — report

AN INTERNAL report from the country’s biggest maternity hospital warned that parts from an obsolete scanner could become dislodged and land on a newborn infant with “catastrophic” effect.

The fluoroscopy machine at the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street in Dublin has been in use since 2006 and was supposed to be replaced before it was 10 years old.

However, the machine continued to be used well past its “end-of-life” deadline, causing patient transfers, cancellations and rescheduled appointments.

An internal report, obtained under Freedom of Information, warned of the risk of parts from it becoming dislodged due to its age.

It said: “Should this happen while an infant was being examined, the resulting injury could likely be catastrophic as these parts are generally very heavy...”

The report also warned that equipment failure or delay due to equipment breakdown posed a serious risk to patients.

There was a significant risk of blood supply restriction and “risk of additional morbidity and death” for children with suspected malformation or twisting of intestines.

The National Maternity Hospital said last week that the fluoroscopy machine was going to be replaced and that it hoped a new scanner would be in place by the autumn at a cost of €500,000.

However, the machine remained in use for more than two years after serious concerns were first raised in the hospital.

A copy of a letter by a medical physicist sent to a consultant radiologist at the hospital in March 2018 warned that the quality of image from the machine was deteriorating and impacting “ability to see small detail”.

In one instance, the quality of the scan was described as “significantly degraded”.