Doctor guilty of misconduct after baby decapitated in the womb

A senior NHS gynaecologist who caused an unborn baby to be accidentally decapitated inside her mother’s womb was found guilty of medical misconduct yesterday.

Dr Vaishnavy Laxman, 43, should have given the 30-year old patient an emergency Caesarean section as the premature infant was in a breech position.

But she instead attempted to carry out the delivery naturally and tragedy struck when the doctor urged the patient to push whilst herself applying traction to the baby’s legs.

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

It is believed the child was already dead before he was decapitated during the bungled 15-minute delivery.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, consultant Laxman who qualified in Chennai, India, denied wrongdoing saying she believed the baby would have died had a Caesarean section been carried out.

But at a finding of facts hearing panel chairman Tim Bradbury said: “It was Dr Laxman’s decision in this regard that was to dictate her subsequent actions and the course of events which ultimately led to Baby B being decapitated.”

The tragedy happened on 16 March 2014 while Laxman wasworkingatninewellshospital in Dundee with a team of other doctors.

Thewoman’swatershadbroken early at 25 weeks and upon

DR VAISHNAVY LAXMAN

examination her unborn baby was found to have a prolapsed cord, was in a breech position whilst the mother’s cervix was between 2-4cm dilated. It can be 10cm fully dilated and the patient was told by doctors she might have to undergo a C-section.

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.

Later while discussing the method of delivery, Laxman told a colleague: “We are not doing a C-section - you would never do a C-section of a 25 weeker.’

Mr Bradbury added: “Initially the body of Baby B descended without difficulty however, the arms were raised and the hands were behind the head which required manipulation by Dr Laxman for their delivery.

“Thereafter, Baby B’s head became trapped in the uterus with his neck within Patient A’s cervix.

“There then followed what was to become, in the Tribunal’s view, an increasingly desperate attempt to deliver Baby B’s head. Because of the pain and distress that Patient A was by this time experiencing the decision was made to administer a general anaesthetic following which further attempts were made to incise Patient A’s cervix and extract Baby B by means of traction.

‘’While Patient A was under general anaesthetic, Dr Laxman continued to make attempts to deliver Baby B by traction and ultimately Baby B’s head became detached from his body.”

Laxman will now face further disciplinary hearings which will decide whether she could be struck off.

She told the hearing: “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.”

“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”