Hospital apologises to grieving parents for 'deficit in care' after baby's skull was fractured during forceps delivery
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda has apologised in court for the "deficit in care" to a baby boy who died hours after his skull was fractured during delivery, writes .
Counsel Liam Reidy SC told the High Court the circumstances of Evan Tuite’s delivery were "horrific" and in the instrumental delivery the baby’s skull was fractured.
Little Evan Joseph Tuite died in his mother’s arms just over 12 hours after he was he was born in 2012.
His heartbroken parents Fiona Tuite and Ivan Murphy in a statement outside the Four Courts today said this should not have happened to Evan or any other child.
"Our son Evan was born on June 14, 2012 at 6.20am. He passed away in his mother’s arms at 7.15pm."
"Every day I wish and pray we could have that day back again and I would have said stop. I would never have let him go ahead and deliver Evan by force. If only Fiona had been sent for a section our baby would have been here today. He would now be going to school and playing with friends," Mr Murphy said in the family statement.
He added: " We still have not had an inquest in to Evan’s death and we can’t understand why this has not happened yet. I am publicly appealing for a date to be confirmed for an inquest into our son’s death."
In the High Court today the hospital apologised to Evan’s family as they settled actions against the HSE over his care at the time of his birth in June 2012.
In the letter of apology read out in court Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda offered its heartfelt sympathy on the death of Evan and sincerely apologised for "the deficit in care" to the baby and his mother.
Mr Reidy SC for Evan’s family told the court liability was denied until last year when it was admitted by the HSE.
Evan's parents Fiona Tuite and Ivan Murphy, Rose Hall, Drogheda, Co Louth had sued the HSE over the care provided to Evan who died on June 14, 2012.
Ms Tuite was admitted to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital on June 13, 2012 and a decision was made after 6am the next day to to proceed to assisted vaginal delivery.
At 6.16am the first of two forceps blades were applied to the baby’s head and it is claimed two pulls were noted. A vacuum device was applied and detached from the baby’s scalp and the forceps at 6.26am were reapplied and there was another pull.
Evan was delivered in poor condition at 6.29am and transferred to the special care baby unit.
On arrival at that unit, it is claimed that medical records indicated the baby had bruising to the ear lobe and all over his skull and had skin peeling over his scalp.
Evan required ventilation and was incubated. A CT scan showed a global hypoxic injury and evidence of hemorrhage.
An autopsy following Evan’s death stated the cause of death to be severe external and internal cranial and brain trauma due to a difficult delivery.
In the proceedings it was claimed there was a failure to inform a consultant obstetrician of the decision to carry out the mid cavity forceps delivery and a failure to proceed to a Cesarean section.
It was further claimed there was a failure to challenge the actions of the junior doctor attempting to deliver the baby and a failure to realise his actions were seen to deviate from normal practice putting the mother and her baby at risk.
There was, it was claimed, a further failure to intervene in the delivery attempts and to directly contact the consultant obstetrician on call.
