Maternity-health professionals' failure to prevent deaths from sepsis.

political analyst · 23-11-2021 6:13pm #1

https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2021/1123/1262703-sepsis-death/

Karen McEvoy died of sepsis on Christmas Day of 2018 after she gave birth to her third child.

Why did the Coombe fail to learn lessons from previous widely-reported cases of pregnant women's deaths from sepsis? If it is because of maternity-health professionals' refusal to take pregnant women's concerns seriously then why did they still have that attitude in 2018?

Fritzbox · 23-11-2021 9:06pm

The court heard Ms McEvoy had given birth to her third child on 18 December, 2018.

She was discharged the following day but in the days afterwards she became ill and complained of lower back and abdominal pain.

Are women normally discharged from hospital one day after giving birth - is that not a bit too soon? What is the practice in other countries?

Fritzbox · 23-11-2021 9:16pm

https://www.businessinsider.com/length-hospital-time-after-giving-birth-2016-3

Found this. One day would indeed appear to be quite short.

[Deleted User] · 23-11-2021 9:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118213007#Comment_118213007

Its quite normal after a normal childbirth. If they give birth early in the day they can be home that night.

You know it's not essential to give birth in hospital right? It's a fairly new thing, lots of countries still don't go to hospital to give birth.

Fritzbox · 23-11-2021 9:34pm

Its quite normal after a normal childbirth.

Well, obviously not, according to the link I provided.

It's a fairly new thing,

Giving birth in a hospital is a "fairly new thing"? Maybe it's because hospitals themselves are a fairly new thing for most people - they would have been far too expensive for them.

[Deleted User] · 23-11-2021 9:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118213145#Comment_118213145

It Is in Ireland. Give birth in the morning, go home in the afternoon.

Give birth in the afternoon/evening, go home the next day. Very normal

The Quintessence Model · 23-11-2021 9:57pm

Seems to be lot of cases of failures in the HSE that have been through the courts recently.

Jequ0n · 23-11-2021 9:58pm

A Christmas miracle

TooTired123 · 23-11-2021 10:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118213064#Comment_118213064

As it was her 3 time to deliver a baby, and in a short space of time, it would be completely normal for her to go home within 24 hours. There didn’t appear to be any complications with either mother or child. She wouldn’t have been forced out either, if it was the case that she didn’t want to go.

My mother delivered both my brother and I at home in her own bedroom with no trip to hospital at all.

elperello · 23-11-2021 10:27pm

In this case the problem was the lack of correct diagnosis and treatment when the woman returned to the hospital for a routine check on the baby and was directed to the emergency dept. complaining of abdominal and lower back pain.

astrofool · 24-11-2021 9:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118213007#Comment_118213007

Quite normal, there are in home midwife follow ups for the first week and weekly check ups after that depending on what the mother chooses. Obviously, if there are any complications at all, they stay in hospital. It's really down to the mother how long they stay if its a routine birth.

elperello · 04-12-2021 3:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118267128#Comment_118267128

Care to elaborate ?

Princess Calla · 04-12-2021 3:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118213007#Comment_118213007

On your first you are usually kept in longer. However on your 2nd + births it's usually the next day once you are comfortable with that and it was a normal delivery and baby is feeding ok.

I think people can forget how risky pregnancy and birth is for the mother. Thankfully we've come along way that these type of cases are relatively rare.

Personally I don't understand choosing for a homebirth things can go sideways very quickly. My first the baby went into distress I'd a team of paediatric Drs/nurses in the room waiting until I delivered, I got a quick hello and baby was swooped away....much rather that than waiting ages on an ambulance etc.

Mrs OBumble · 04-12-2021 5:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118214349#Comment_118214349

Hospitals are horrible places, full of sick people and germs. For a small proportion of women who give birth, ready access to healthcare professionals and equipment makes this risk of this worthwhile. For most, getting out as fast as possible - with appropriate in-home aftercare - is better.

astrofool · 04-12-2021 6:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118268997#Comment_118268997

We went with the community midwives program twice and found it great, if very tiring for the first week. Lots of support from the midwifes (midwives?) all the way through. Biggest issue was having to run out and feed the meter every X hours for the first one but for the second all the parking meters were broken during a checkup and DCC gave us a voucher for reporting the issue which covered the entire stay (Holles Street) :)

Maternity-health professionals' failure to prevent deaths from sepsis.

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