07-05-2025
Faster action could have saved baby at Harlow hospital
Earlier C-section could have saved baby - inquest
8 minutes ago
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Nikki Fox
BBC health correspondent, Essex
Reporting from Essex Coroner's Court
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Emmy's mother and father, Bryony and Daniel Russo, said their concerns were repeatedly dismissed
The inquest into the death of a newborn baby has heard she would have been "less likely" to have died if an emergency caesarean section had been carried out sooner.
Emmy Russo was delivered at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, Essex and died three days later on 12 January 2024 as a result of catastrophic brain injuries.
Independent expert obstetrician Teresa Kelly told Essex Coroner's Court there had been enough evidence "this baby wasn't coping with labour" and staff should have acted sooner.
Midwife Megan Fletcher defended her decision not to escalate concerns to a more senior doctor, saying she was trying to avoid any further "invasive procedures".
Ms Kelly told the inquest that, in her experience, midwives sometimes tried to reduce the need for medical interventions.
But she said speculum examinations were sterile and did not believe there would have been a risk of infection with a vaginal examination.
Family handout
The parents of Emmy Russo say they raised concerns on multiple occasions during her mother's labour
Bryony and Daniel Russo had earlier told the inquest their concerns were "repeatedly dismissed" during labour, despite meconium [the baby's excrement] being found in Ms Russo's waters.
Mrs Russo told the inquest she felt her baby "wasn't going to come out" during labour and she knew something was wrong, which she had repeatedly told staff.
She had been classified as low-risk during pregnancy and had not experienced any serious complications before labour.
But staff had found evidence of meconium the consistency of "toothpaste" in her waters.
Ms Kelly also said there was evidence of "continuing, abnormal" results from a cardiotocography (CTG) scan during Ms Russo's labour.
Ms Kelly told the inquest that she would have expected a full holistic review of Ms Russo's care with a consultant obstetrician or registrar carrying out a speculum examination early on, especially as meconium had been found.
She said it would have been better "to progress to a caesarean section".
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Emmy Russo died three days after being born at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow
Ms Kelly said that at the very least, a doctor should have be brought in to talk to Mrs Russo about her concerns.
She told assistant coroner for Essex, Thea Wilson, that there was enough evidence "that this baby wasn't coping with labour" and that she "didn't feel it was a good decision to have continued with labour".
She said if Emmy had been delivered earlier, she would have been in a better condition and would have been less likely to have died.
After Emmy was born, no heartbeat could be detected and she had to be resuscitated before being transferred to Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge.
An MRI scan there revealed she had severe brain damage and she died three days later.
A post-mortem examination found she died from acute hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow, and placental disfunction.
The inquest continues.
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