Waikato DHB has been asked to apologise for "deficiencies" in treating a pregnant woman whose baby died from birth hypoxia.
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall today released a report which found Waikato DHB in breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights for the care provided to a pregnant woman.
According to the report, the woman, who was 28 weeks pregnant, presented to the public hospital with abdominal pain.
"Assessments by the obstetric and general surgical teams had not established a cause for the pain before the woman collapsed 17 hours later and was found to have a ruptured uterus," the report states.
"The baby initially survived, but died a month later as a result of birth hypoxia."
Wall notes in her report that the rupture of an unscarred uterus in a non-labouring woman is "extremely rare and, prior to the woman’s collapse, it was not a diagnosis that would have been considered or made by many clinicians in the circumstances".
Despite this, she criticised Waikato DHB for a number of "deficiencies in the obstetric and general surgery reviews".
"These included missed opportunities for increased senior oversight and inadequate documentation of some reviews," Wall believes.
In the report, Wall also considered that a lack of effective communication and co-ordination between the obstetrics and general surgery teams contributed to a delay in appropriate radiological assessment.
She recommended that Waikato DHB implement a number of procedures that will address the issues outlined in the report and also recommended that the DHB apologise to the woman and her family.
"These recommendations have been complied with," the report concludes.
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