Inquiry into Caesarean operation on woman after she gave birth

The South Eastern Health Board has confirmed it is investigating an obstetrics operation at a Kilkenny hospital after an unnecessary Caesarean was performed on a woman who had already given birth.

Doctors at St Luke's hospital in Kilkenny city performed the operation in the mistaken belief that the woman was carrying twins and had failed to deliver the second baby naturally.

It is not yet known how the error occurred, however it is understood that it was not a case of mistaken identity or a patient file error because the woman had been told during her pregnancy that she was carrying twins.

The woman gave birth to a son naturally, but when a second baby did not appear doctors decided to perform an emergency Caesarean. It was only after the operation had begun that doctors realised there was no second baby.

The chief executive of the SEHB, Mr Pat McLoughlin, has established an independent review team to investigate the circumstances that led to the unnecessary invasive surgery being carried out on the new mother last month.

The woman and her husband were informed last week that the review was under way. The full details of the case are currently being withheld to preserve patient confidentiality, the health board has said.

It is not yet known when the investigation will be completed. Mr McLoughlin has asked the review team to complete their work as soon as possible. However, it is likely that the report will not be ready until some time in the new year.

"The definitive timeframe for the completion of this investigation is a matter for the team to decide. However, I have requested the report to be completed at the earliest possible opportunity and any recommendations that may come from the investigation to be implemented as soon as possible," he said.

The inquiry will be led by Mr Martin Hynes, the former chief executive of the Blood Transfusion Service Board, who has previously worked with the SEHB and had responsibility for acute hospitals in the south east.

Mr Hynes will be joined by Dr Jack Gallagher, a retired consultant obstetrician and assistant master of the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, and Ms Pauline Treanor, director of midwifery at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin.

While no information on the current state of health of the woman has been released, emergency Caesareans do carry health risks, Prof John Bonnar, consultant obstetrician and professor emeritus of obstetrics at Trinity College Dublin, said.

"The risks in general are much higher than with a normal delivery and I'm sure this was a great shock for the woman and the wound isn't going to make nursing the baby all that easy."

Twin foetuses were usually strictly monitored, Prof Bonnar said, particularly during the birth, and it would be very unusual for the obstetrics team to think there were two foetuses when there was only one. "I just don't understand what happened in this particular case."