A first-time mother died hours after giving birth to her child due to the neglect of senior staff members at a the hospital. On July 8, 2018, just after 10 p.m., the pregnant woman gave birth to her son Hugo at the hospital. Unfortunately, she died hours later as a result of uterine inversion, an uncommon condition in which the uterus flips partially or entirely inside out.
An inquest ruled that this was the consequence of errors made by one of her doctors and a midwife at the hospital, reports New York Post. The mother, Jade Hart, had repeated cardiac arrests and would not have died if it hadn’t been for the uterine inversion, according to the inquest.
When her placenta had not separated, her umbilical cord was found to have been pulled at least four times by a doctor. Assistant Coroner Dr. Elizabeth Didcock said that this action was, “a very serious omission of care,” and led to her death. The inquest also concluded that her ongoing hemorrhage was mismanaged, with routine checks not being performed in the hours leading up to her death. She had lost at least 5.5 liters of blood and eventually suffered organ failure and brain damage, with neglect playing a role in her death.
The inquest concluded that these particular errors could not have been predicted by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and occurred as a result of guidelines not being followed.
Julie Hazelgrave, Hart’s mother, spoke to Nottinghamshire Live, “Jade was wonderfully kind and caring with a great zest for life. In July 2018, with her husband, Jade walked into Bassetlaw hospital full of excitement and anticipation for the birth of their baby.”
Hart grew critically ill after being admitted to the intensive care unit and subsequently died. A well-known specialist who conducted an independent investigation of Hart’s death and circumstances decided that her doctor had broken their duty of care. Her husband, Richard Hart, said, “Being independent and thorough, Jade’s inquest has been invaluable to our understanding of what happened to Jade, that turned what should have been a wholly wonderful day into one with tragedy.”
He further added, “It is time to find some peace and time to grieve the gift that was Jade, while concentrating on the joy and gift that Jade gave to us, our beautiful son.” Richard said that he had no recollection of his wife being asked to push during delivery, as suggested by her doctor previously. Hart was in good health before the delivery but had high blood pressure before labor was induced.
Hart had requested an epidural before giving birth, but it had been denied due to concerns about her high blood pressure. Meanwhile, it was discovered that her failure to appropriately regulate her blood pressure did not lead to her death. Dr. Didcock told the inquest, “This poses a risk of similar deaths occurring in the future. I am not reassured the necessary actions are in place.”
Hart’s mother expressed their agony, “Her death has cast a long shadow over our lives and our world has irrevocably changed. We miss Jade every single day and always will.”
Dr Didcock criticized the hospital’s trust and told the inquest: “Serious omissions has led to insufficient learning and no acceptance that this had caused serious distress to the family. This poses a risk of similar deaths occurring in the future. I am not reassured the necessary actions are in place.”
She told the family: “I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s also my hope that lessons will be learned that will lead to improvements in care going forward.”