Latest news with #StMarysHospital
BBC News
an hour ago
- Health
- BBC News
Poppy Lindop: Nurse 'didn't check' baby's medicine dose
A hospital nurse who accidently gave a critically ill new born baby a large overdose of medication has accepted there were two missed opportunities to check the dose, an inquest has Lindop, who was born 10 weeks premature, died within 24 hours of being born at Manchester's St Mary's Hospital in March was already gravely ill with a serious infection when nurses mistakenly 10 times the correct dose of a muscle relaxant, Manchester Coroners Court heard. Nurse Fahima Begum earlier told the inquest the nursing team on the neo-natal intensive care unit "should have gone back and checked it, but that wasn't done". Polly suffered a cardiac arrest six minutes after the overdose and died within a few a post-mortem examination found the primary cause of her death was sepsis and prematurity, and that she had suffered severe lung Begum and her colleague Nurse Akila Pandoor were responsible for preparing the drug, Atracuriam, to be given to Polly."When you're making up an infusion, you should be checking", Ms Begum said."I believe it should have been checked again."Ms Pandoor told the inquest she "didn't physically look at the pump once the infusion started", even though she accepted it was standard practice to check the nurses, who were not directly responsible for Polly's care, said they did not feel under pressure to get the drug ready quickly. A hospital consultant in charge of Polly's treatment told the court that due to the severity of Polly's condition, he believed she "would not have survived", even without the mistake by the nursing team."What happened with Polly has gone around in my head for the past two years," Dr Gareth Penman told the court. "Did it [the overdose] cause her cardiac arrest to happen earlier? I'm not sure. But what I do think is that Polly was not going to survive this infection."Dr Penman described how Polly's condition worsened overnight, despite numerous treatments."It was an intense situation, things were moving rapidly," he hearing was told there was no mention of the overdose when Dr Penman reported Polly's death to the coroner. Dr Penman said: "I recognise I should have put it in at that point. I didn't think it had contributed to her death."In the following days and fter speaking with hospital staff and Polly's family, Dr Penman informed the coroner of the mistake."I apologise to Polly's parents if they thought I was trying to cover this up….that was not my intention," he Polly's death, Greater Manchester Police started an investigation into possible gross negligence the force later said no criminal charges were being inquest continues. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
Heartbroken mum describes ‘chaos' as her baby died after nurses mistakenly gave her ‘ten times' required drug dose
A NEWBORN baby girl passed away after accidentally being given "ten times" the required dosage of a drug. Polly Ida Lindop was barely a day old when she died at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester on March 13, 2023, having been born 10 weeks premature. 4 An inquest into her death at Manchester Coroners Court heard that nurses in the neo-natal intensive care unit mistakenly gave the tot 10 times the dose of a drug she was prescribed. Polly suffered a cardiac arrest 10 minutes after being given atracuriam - a muscle relaxant, so she could be put on a ventilator to help her breathe. But a medical expert testified that little Polly was already "very sick" and deteriorating. There was a "very low" chance of her surviving, even without the overdose, the BBC reported. Polly's heartbroken mum, Kimberley Lindop, described scenes of "chaos" at the hospital as doctors tried to save the baby's life. Kimberley checked into St Mary's hospital on March 11, after "showing signs of infections" 10 weeks before her due date, Manchester Evening News reported. Her water broke and she underwent an emergency caesarean and gave birth to Polly. It was suspected that she had the infection chorioamnionitis whilst she was in labour. Maternity guidelines state two types of antibiotics should be given to the mother whilst in labour to protect the baby, but Kimberley was only given one. Speaking in court, the mum told the coroner Zak Golombek she was initially told that Polly was healthy, and a rash that she had noticed on the baby's body was a "birth blemish". Polly later developed sepsis and was started on antibiotics. When she deteriorated on March 13, medics decided to attach her to a mechanical ventilator to help her breathe she was prescribed atracurium to relax her body. But the court heart that the nursing team made a mistake when inputting the dose details, meaning Polly received 10 times the amount she should have. Shortly afterwards, the tot suffered a cardiac arrest. Staff managed to resuscitate her but failed to notice Polly was being overdosed. During a nurse handover, approximately two hours later, the error was picked up on and the infusion was switched off. Minutes later, Polly suffered another cardiac arrest and tragically died at just 18 hours old. Kimberley described the ward as "chaotic", adding there were an "awful lot of people" in the unit when Polly suffered a "collapse". The overdose was not recorded in Polly's medical records and Kimberley and Jacob only became aware after overhearing a conversation between the nurses, lawyers representing the pair said. Recalling the moment in court, Kimberley remembered a nurse saying "0.33" and then saying "no, it's 3.33" when reading Polly's dosage details. The court heard the nurses involved and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust had accepted the overdose mistake had been made. A post-mortem examination found the primary cause of Polly's death was sepsis and prematurity and that she had suffered severe lung damage. Dr Naomi Carter, a former Home Office forensic pathologist who jointly carried out the post-mortem examination, said it was "difficult to speculate" on how much difference the medication overdose had made in Polly's death. What is premature birth? Labour is deemed premature if it happens before the 37th week of pregnancy. About eight out of 100 babies will be born prematurely. Babies born before full term are vulnerable to problems associated with being born premature. The earlier in the pregnancy a baby is born, the more vulnerable they are. It's possible for a baby to survive if born around 24 weeks of pregnancy onwards. Babies born this early need special care in a hospital with specialist facilities for premature babies. They may have health and development problems because they have not fully developed in the womb. You should call your midwife or maternity unit if you're less than 37 weeks pregnant and you have: Regular contractions or tightenings Period-type pains A gush or trickle of fluid from your vagina – this could be your waters breaking Backache that's not usual for you "It may have hastened the event of the cardiac arrest," she told the hearing. However, Dr Carter said Polly had been "a very, very sick infant" in a critical condition who would "more likely than not died of her medical problems", even without the overdose. Greater Manchester Police launched an investigation into possible gross negligence manslaughter at the time of Polly's death, but earlier this year said no criminal charges were being brought. Detective inspector Mark Davies - who lead the investigation - spoke during the inquest. He said officers were told about the death "a few weeks after", and after speaking to multiple health officials and receiving the findings from Dr Carter, it was concluded that there was no cause for a criminal conviction. Kimberley said: 'Polly's death has not only affected us, but also our other children who still struggle to comprehend why their baby sister, whose arrival they were looking forward to so much, is not here with them. "We need answers so that we can try to find some closure about why she died even though we will never get over losing her. "Any parent who has lost child knows that the pain is indescribable but what drives us on is knowing that we have to be Polly's voice and help to ensure that lessons are learned, and the hospital and all the staff involved are held accountable for the mistakes that were made.' Rachael Heyes, a medical negligence solicitor at JMW who is representing Polly's family through the inquest process, said: 'Kimberley and Jacob have been through a hugely traumatic ordeal and are devastated to have lost Polly in such distressing circumstances. "To know that the care she received was not in line with NHS guidelines only compounds this for them. We welcome the inquest and will be cooperating fully with the coroner to ensure that no stone is left unturned in trying to find out why Polly died.' The inquest began on June 9 and is expected to go on for five days. St Mary's Hospital told Sun Health it wouldn't be providing an official comment until the conclusion of the inquest.
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Baby girl given overdose before death, Manchester inquest hears
A "very sick" newborn baby girl died shortly after accidently being given a large overdose of medication, an inquest has Lindop died within 24 hours of being born at Manchester's St Mary's Hospital on 13 March Coroners Court was told nurses in the neo-natal intensive care unit mistakenly gave the baby 10 times the dose of a drug she was a medical expert in the case said Polly's condition was already deteriorating and there was a "very low" chance of her surviving, even without the overdose. Polly, who was born 10 weeks prematurely, suffered a cardiac arrest 10 minutes after being given the excessive dose of the drug court heard medics made a mistake entering the dosage on the infusion mother Kimberley Lindop told the court her daughter had gone from being "fine to very poorly in 45 minutes". She described a "chaotic" scene as hospital staff tried to save the child, who died a few hours later after suffering a second cardiac court heard the nurses involved and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust had accepted the overdose mistake had been made. 'Difficult to speculate' Mrs Lindop said the family had not been told the details of the mistake at the time but "just knew something had happened".However, a post-mortem examination found the primary cause of Polly's death was sepsis and prematurity and that she had suffered severe lung Naomi Carter, a former Home Office forensic pathologist who jointly carried out the post-mortem examination, said it was "difficult to speculate" on how much difference the medication overdose had made in Polly's death."It may have hastened the event of the cardiac arrest", she told the Dr Carter said Polly was "a very, very sick infant" in a critical condition who would "more likely than not died of her medical problems", even without the Manchester Police launched an investigation into possible gross negligence manslaughter at the time but earlier this year said no criminal charges were being Ch Insp Mark Davis told the court that after liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service, it was decided there was "no realistic chance of prosecution."The inquest continues. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside Meghan Markle's bizarre births: From Ayurvedic doctors to 'super woo-woo' lattes and a picture of Princess Diana on the bedside table
Both Diana and Catherine faced a mass photo call outside of St Mary's Hospital hours after they welcomed their children into the world. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, by contrast, took the 'personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private,' adding that they looked forward to sharing the news after they'd had time to celebrate as a new family. But now the Duchess of Sussex, 43, has chosen to share unexpected details about her pregnancies on her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder - much to the delight of royal watchers everywhere. 'During my pregnancies, I had an Ayurvedic doctor, and so much of it was about seeing food as medicine,' the former actress revealed on Tuesday. Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old ancient medical system originating in India that uses a holistic approach to physical, mental and emotional health. The former actress also revealed that during her pregnancy with her second child Lilibet she drank 'Golden SuperLattes' made with turmeric and 'upgraded with mood-boosting, stress-soothing adaptogens' from the brand Clevr Blends. Adaptogens, which Meghan admits are perceived as 'super woo-woo', can be traced back to Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. They are active ingredients in certain plants and mushrooms that are believed to impact how the body deals with stress, anxiety and fatigue. However, it is stated widely online that if you are pregnant you should avoid the use of adaptogens as the effects on the child and mother are under researched. You should also speak to your GP before using any adaptogens. Discussing the taboo subject of adaptogens on her podcast with Hannah Mendoza, founder of Clevr Blends, the Duchess said: 'I think a lot of people when they hear mushrooms, they go "OK, she's talking about being hippie-dippy, grounded in all these things". 'If you aren't familiar with adaptogens, you can go to this place of "Oh, it's feeling a little psychedelic and super woo-woo" but what we are talking about is food trends in which you are ahead of the curve on. 'There are these items and ingredients that have been part of our natural ecosystem and dietary system for a long time, whether acknowledged or not, that somehow you say mushrooms, and now people have a connotation attached to it.' The Duchess of Sussex is an investor in Clevr Blends - a Los Angeles-based company that adds adaptogens and probiotics to matcha, coffee and even hot cocoa. The female-led wellness company has also been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey who was initially sent a 'Golden SuperLatte' by her neighbour Meghan. As well as using an Ayurvedic doctor and drinking adaptogen-enhanced lattes, the American actress is believed to have initially wanted a home birth while pregnant with Archie. Both she and Harry had studied hypnobirthing techniques and were hopeful of having an all-female, midwife-led delivery in the privacy of Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate. But after she reached her due date, a home birth began to look increasingly unlikely. Indeed, experts had long warned that as a first-time mother and one who, at 37, had experienced what was classed, in medical terms, as a 'geriatric pregnancy', there would be a strong chance that the Duchess would require some sort of medical intervention. More than a week overdue, Meghan was eventually taken to The Portland Hospital in London, where she gave birth to Archie on May 6, 2019. Standing outside the stables at Windsor, Harry reassured the public that both mother and baby were 'doing incredibly well', calling it 'the most amazing experience'. In his bombshell memoir Spare, Harry went into more detail about the birth experience, confirming that Meghan was induced in a private room. According to Harry, his wife settled into a bath and immersed herself in the calming sounds of Deva Premal's Sanskrit mantras, which had been remixed into hymns. Sanskrit mantras are believed to possess spiritual or magical power and help 'mama and her partner find strength, positivity and focus' through labour, according to the Hummingbird Doula. When the doctor finally decided it was time to induce labour, Meghan was given a canister of laughing gas to help ease the process. Meanwhile, Harry, who had ordered Nando's via his bodyguards, took a hit from the gas meant for his wife. Harry pictured with Meghan in a photobooth during their Netflix documentary Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's oldest child Archie was born at The Portland Hospital in London on May 6, 2019 'I took several slow, penetrating hits. Meg, bouncing on a giant purple ball, a proven way of giving nature a push, laughed and rolled her eyes. 'I took several more hits and now I was bouncing too,' Harry reveals. 'When her contractions began to quicken and deepen, a nurse came and tried to give some laughing gas to Meg. There was none left. The nurse looked at the tank, looked at me, and I could see the thought slowly dawning: Gracious, the husband's had it all.' Fortunately, the nurse saw the humour in the situation and replaced the canister for Meghan. The Duke was also given the important task of setting the ambience by arranging electric candles - the same ones he had used during his proposal to Meghan - around the private hospital room. Among the items in her overnight bag was a framed photograph of Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, which he propped up on a small table. He noted in his memoir that this touching tribute was Meghan's idea. But, despite the ambience, Meghan's efforts to breathe through the discomfort became overwhelming and she ultimately had to receive two epidurals. 'The anaesthetist hurried in. Off went the music, on went the lights,' Harry wrote. There was a brief moment of concern when the umbilical cord was discovered to be wrapped around the baby during delivery but, soon after, their healthy son Archie was born. 'A nurse swept the baby into a towel and placed him on Meg's chest and we both cried to see him, meet him,' the Duke penned. 'Our ayurvedic doctor had advised us that, in the first minute of life, a baby absorbs everything said to them. So whisper to the baby, tell the baby your wish for him, your love. Tell.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Netflix star left in agony with broken leg after terrifying bike accident
NETFLIX and Skins star Sebastian de Souza has shared photos from his hospital bed after getting into a serious bike accident. The 32-year-old actor – who has appeared in The Life List, Medici, Normal People and The Great – posted his update via his Instagram account. 7 7 Despite the nasty injury, breaking his leg, Sebastian made light of the situation, posing in his bed and later down the pub with a pint, while still in his medical gown. He wrote: 'New Hair! New Normal! Dear Souzles, forgive the radio silence! Three weeks ago I broke my leg falling off my bike.' He credited 'very very kind people' who helped get him to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, as well as the team who looked after him once at A&E. 'You know who you are and I will never be able to repay you,' he commented. Praising the 'extraordinary team', he said: 'the gorgeous paramedics, doctors, nurses, domestic and administrative staff, all of whom made me feel so welcome and comfortable and safe. 'As it turned out, I had a tibial plateau fracture (more commonly known as bike leg) and needed an operation.' 'St Mary's is one of the best trauma centres on planet earth and so, naturally, there were lots of poor people with injuries far graver than mine queuing up for operations that needed doing quickly, which meant my mangled knee would have to wait a little bit before getting patched up,' he continued. 'And so it was that I ended up spending the most wonderful, inspiring, insightful, love-filled fortnight on St Mary's Valentine Ellis and Zachary Cope wards, waiting for my surgery!' Sebastian noted: 'I have never been treated with such kindness, care, respect, sensitivity and love, nor have I ever seen such professionalism and compassion shown so consistently by anyone to everyone, ever.' 'Thank God for @nhsengland @nhsenglandldn,' he said. 'As far as I'm concerned the NHS is the greatest institution ever invented and should be supported, protected and celebrated at all costs. Forever.' 7 7 Apologising for the long message, Sebastian went on to praise his family and friends for supporting him 'through this fascinating new chapter'. Friends and fans were quick to send the actor their well wishes, with Sarah Parish joking: 'Darling!!! You poor love. I hope you gave your best Leslie Phillips from 'Carry on Nurse'' Another added: 'You 'll bounce back in no time Sending you lots of love' While a fan account for The Life List wrote: 'My sincerest wishes for a speedy recovery to you, beloved Sebastian!' 7 7 7
