Death ‘likely a reaction to medication’
Teen probably suffered adverse reaction to drugs after giving birth, inquest hears
MEDICAL experts have said a teenage mum who died after giving birth at St Richard's Hospital most likely had an adverse reaction to medication.
It comes as the events surrounding the death of Teegan Barnard were investigated as part of an inquest expecting to last four days.
An inquest heard the 17-year-old, who suffered a cardiac arrest around two hours after delivering her baby boy at St Richard’s Hospital in 2019, is thought likely to have had an 'adverse reaction' to the drug Carboprost.
Professor Robert said it was ‘more rather than less likely’ that Teegan’s state was adversely affected by the use of the drug and explained: ‘By and large most people respond in the same way to drugs, but there are some people who have adverse responses to particular drugs.’
The inquest heard Teegan suffered from a bronchospasm, when the airways go into spasm and contract, and that being administered Carboprost was 'probably' the catalyst.
However the professor said that he could not say if this is what directly led to Teegan's death.
Inquest has previously heard the ‘small’ teenager from Havant suffered a ‘major’ bleed giving birth to her baby Parker, who weighed 9lbs 9oz, losing almost four litres of blood.
As a result of the bleed, Teegan was starved of oxygen and suffered a severe brain injury and later died on October 7, 2019.
Speaking during the opening of a four-day inquest into her daughter’s death on Friday, Teegan’s mother Abbie Hallawell paid tribute to her girl.
In a statement read at West Sussex Coroner’s Court, Abbie said: ‘Teegan had a big personality and was full of life. She loved her family and had close relationships with her grandparents.
‘She was girly-girl who enjoyed socialising with her friends and horse riding. Growing up she was a normal healthy girl who didn't suffer any major illnesses.’
Earlier during the inquest, the court heard that under local NHS guidelines, Teegan could have been offered an induced labour at 38 weeks – three weeks before she eventually gave birth.
Investigators from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) said it would have been ‘best practice’ to have offered the teenager an induced labour.
Instead, Teegan’s little boy grew in size and ‘in retrospect it would have contributed to the risk of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH)’ - which is a heavy bleed in a woman after birth.
At St Richard’s, Teegan suffered obstructive labour when a baby cannot exit the pelvis - and she underwent a caesarean section.
Shortly after baby Parker was born a postpartum haemorrhage was detected by medics, prompting an ‘emergency’ situation. Dr Ahmed Elgarhy, senior speciality registrar at St Richard’s Hospital, said: ‘She had bled almost two-thirds of her blood volume in about ten minutes or less. It was quite an intense and severe emergency. It was quite a stressful emergency.’
The inquest continues.