A consultant gynaecologist at Ninewells Hospital caused an unborn baby to be accidentally decapitated inside her mother’s womb as she carried out a bungled delivery, a medical tribunal has heard.
Dr Vaishnavy Laxman, 41, should have given the 30-year-old patient an emergency Caesarean section as the premature infant was in a breech position but instead attempted to carry out the delivery naturally, it was claimed.
Tragedy struck when the doctor urged the patient to push whilst herself applying traction to the baby’s legs, it was alleged.
The manoeuvre caused the infant’s legs, arms and torso to become detached leaving the head still in his mother’s womb.
Two other doctors subsequently carried out a C-section on the woman to remove the infant’s head. It was ”reattached” to his body so his mother could hold him before she said goodbye. It is claimed the mother was not even in established labour at the time.
At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, the mother – known only as Patient A – came to face with Laxman and in a harrowing exchange across the room looked at her and said: “I don’t forgive you – I don’t forgive you” as the doctor stared down at the floor. The patient then looked away as Laxman’s QC apologised on her behalf.
Waters broke prematurely
The hearing was told the tragedy occurred on March 16 2014 whilst Laxman was working at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee with a team of other doctors.
The woman’s waters had broken early at 25 weeks and upon examination her unborn baby was found to have a prolapsed cord and it was decided she needed to give birth immediately.
In heartbreaking evidence Patient A, who was holding two teddy bears in her arms, told the hearing: “When I was taken to the labour suite nobody told me what was happening.
“A lot of people were talking they kept saying the baby needed to come out but nobody looked at me in the eye and told me what was going to happen.”
She added: “There was no anaesthetic. I said to them “it doesn’t feel right, stop it, what’s going on, I don’t want to do it” but nobody responded to me in any way.
”Afterwards I was in a cubicle with a curtain around me and the sister came over to me and told me my son had passed away.
“I didn’t know the details but Dr Laxman came to see me and the baby’s father was there.
“Dr Laxman sat on the side of my bed and she said how sorry she was for what happened but I didn’t know the full extent of what happened at that point.
”I just said ‘it’s alright, these things happen, I forgive you.’ She went away but I started screaming when I found out the full extent – I was just crying. I was upset because of the severity of his injury.
“I would never use the word stillborn – he was not stillborn he was decapitated.”
Vaginal delivery ‘was the wrong choice’
The hearing was told the woman was given Co-codamol before she was examined and Dr Laxman decided on a natural delivery.
Lawyer for the General Medical Council Charles Garside QC said: “The attempt to manipulate the baby’s head to come out of the cervix failed because the cervix has clamped onto the baby’s head and despite effort made to assist, these efforts failed.
“Dr Laxman made three attempts to cut the cervix with scissors but Baby B’s head was separated from his body and his head was stuck inside Patient A’s body.”
He added: “As a matter of compassion the head was reattached so the appearance of the baby was not too extreme.
“The baby was shown to his mother so she had the consolation of seeing him.”
Mr Garside added: “The choice was taken by Dr Laxman to try a vaginal delivery and this was the wrong choice. They should never use a vaginal delivery in that situation.”
Laxman denies hand in baby’s death
Dr Laxman, who faces being struck off, denies contributing to the death of the baby.
Her lawyer Gerard Boyle QC addressed the mother during the hearing and told her: “Dr Laxman has asked me to say she is so very sorry and deeply saddened for the outcome of your baby.
”She knows that no amount of words can or will soften your pain but she is hoping that knowing that what she was trying to do was her very best to deliver your baby quickly and sufficiently and she had best intentions at heart.
“She did not intend to harm you or harm your baby and she offers her apologies in every possible way. She hopes at some point in time that will make you feel in a way, slightly better.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said the health authority will be making no comment until the hearing has concluded.
The hearing continues.
