Bac Lieu: Clarifying the cause of death of 34-week-old fetus at hospital

SGGPO 08/28/2023 18:40

On August 28, the leaders of the Department of Health of Bac Lieu province confirmed that they had received a petition from the family of a pregnant woman NCT (31 years old, residing in Ward 1, Bac Lieu City), reflecting the death of a 34-week-old fetus (Ms. T.'s child) at Thanh Vu Bac Lieu General Hospital (Thanh Vu General Hospital), due to the negligence of the hospital's treatment team.

Bac Lieu: Clarifying the cause of death of 34-week-old fetus at hospital photo 1

Thanh Vu Bac Lieu General Hospital. Photo: NHAT HO

Meanwhile, a representative of Thanh Vu General Hospital said that the hospital has temporarily suspended the team of doctors and nurses on duty related to the death of the 34-week fetus, pending official conclusions from the authorities.

According to Mr. TQH (37 years old, husband of the pregnant woman NCT), at around 9 pm on August 21, he took his 34-week pregnant wife to Thanh Vu General Hospital for a health check, at that time, T. was vomiting. The doctor performed steps such as measuring blood pressure, fetal ultrasound, echocardiogram...

The doctor then informed the pregnant woman that she could go home or stay for further examination. However, Mr. H. and his wife chose to stay at the hospital. At around 11 p.m. the same day, Ms. T. was transferred to the maternity ward to rest.

According to Mr. H., from 11pm on August 21 to around 3am on August 22, the vomiting did not subside; Ms. T. was given IV fluids, oxygen, and an ultrasound. After the ultrasound results, the doctor concluded that there was no fetal heartbeat.

The hospital doctor then asked Mr. H. to sign a document confirming his wife's condition, to proceed with surgery, and to inform that the fetus had no heartbeat and the cause was unknown. At around 6:30 a.m. on August 22, the fetus died.

Immediately after the incident, Thanh Vu General Hospital held an urgent meeting of the professional council. Initial results determined that the pregnant woman T. had ketoacidosis due to untreated type 2 diabetes, severe hyperkalemia, and stillbirth complications.

“Previously, the patient and family reported no medical conditions, especially diabetes. Ketone acidosis is not a common disease and is not easy to diagnose in cases where there is no known history of diabetes. This is an extremely dangerous complication of diabetes, increasing the risk of death for both mother and fetus,” explained a representative of Thanh Vu General Hospital.

Currently, Bac Lieu Department of Health is directing the unit's inspectors to verify and clarify.

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