Director of Odesa maternity hospital where a baby died names preliminary cause of death

According to preliminary findings, the child suffocated due to a short umbilical cord.

According to the director of the Maternity Hospital No. 5 Ihor Shpak, the cause of death was a rare and inevitable complication - rupture of the umbilical cord vessel due to its abnormal attachment and short length (20 cm).

"According to the pathology report, the cause of death was intrapartum fetal distress, i.e. acute lack of oxygen," the doctor explained.

According to him, the pregnancy was full-term, and the labor was going well until a complication occurred. A caesarean section was urgently performed - it took 15 minutes from the moment the baby's condition deteriorated to its removal.

"The child died in utero from acute asphyxia. Unfortunately, the time it took - up to three minutes - does not allow us to save the child even with urgent surgery," he said.

Mr. Shpak emphasized that the length of the umbilical cord cannot be determined during an ultrasound, so it is impossible to prevent this complication. The case was recognized by the medical council as unavoidable.

He also commented on the claims of refusal to perform a cesarean section at the request of a woman in labor:

"The protocols clearly define the indications for a cesarean section. To do it without medical reasons is to risk a woman's life," explained the director.

The maternity hospital urges not to make premature conclusions and wait for the results of the official investigation.

Investigators have already registered the incident of improper performance of professional duties by a healthcare worker, if it caused serious consequences to a minor, in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations. A number of forensic examinations will be conducted as part of the criminal proceedings.

The case concerns the tragedy that occurred in Odesa Maternity Hospital #5 last week. According to the mother of the deceased child ,Olena Boyko, during the examination in the maternity ward, she felt severe pain and asked for a cesarean section. The doctor allegedly replied: "Everyone gives birth, and you will give birth". Subsequently, the woman began bleeding, but even then a cesarean section was not performed. The woman was taken to the operating room only when the fetal heart rate dropped sharply. The baby was taken out with no signs of life. According to Olena, the baby's death was not recorded, and the police were not called.

After the tragedy, the head of the department, having seen a photo of the bleeding, said that a cesarean section should have been performed immediately. But the doctors from Israel, whom Olena consulted, suggested that the cause was placental abruption, which required an immediate cesarean section.

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