Latest news with #haemorrhage
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Woman who suffered sustained bleeding after giving birth fails in High Court action
A woman suffering from bleeding and who collapsed at home 2½weeks after giving birth has failed in a High Court claim for damages against the Coombe hospital , Dublin, and the HSE . Virginia Gimenez Perez alleged, among other matters, that the hospital failed to properly diagnose and treat the cause of her bleeding after she gave birth to her second child in October 2019. She also alleged that the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, failed to make a timely diagnosis of what was causing her bleeding when she was brought there by ambulance in November having collapsed at home. She eventually received surgery to stop the bleeding in December. Ms Justice Emily Egan found in favour of the HSE and the hospital in a recently-published decision. READ MORE She found that the staff involved in the care of Ms Perez in both hospitals acted in ways that ordinary competent professionals might have acted and took decisions that were open to such professionals exercising reasonable care. Ms Perez complained that the Coombe failed to properly diagnose and treat her post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) caused by the incomplete delivery of the placenta, preventing her uterus from contracting and stemming bleeding from the uterine wall. The condition is known as retained products of conception (RPOC) and it was common cause that the PPH suffered by Ms Perez was due to RPOC. In the Coombe at the time of the birth, the placenta was checked by a nurse who noted that it 'appears complete'. 'It is common case that it is very difficult to out-rule the possibility that a small piece of placenta is missing,' the judge noted. 'It is not per se negligent to conclude that a placenta 'appears complete' even if this transpires not to be the case.' Ms Perez also criticised other aspects of her care while at the Coombe, including the hospital's response to her blood loss. However, the judge found the treatment given was 'effective and reasonable' given the scenario presenting. The care given after Ms Perez attended hospital in Portlaoise was also criticised by her and her expert witnesses, with consultant obstetrician Dr Robin Ashe saying the hospital should have performed surgery on her to remove the RPOC when she was brought there by ambulance on November 4th, 2019. However, Ms Justice Egan found that the more conservative management decided upon by the staff was 'within the band of reasonable management'. Consultant Dr Niamh Maher, who decided on the more conservative approach after having made a differential diagnosis, was 'emphatic' that surgery involved a risk of uterine perforation that could have been 'catastrophic' in circumstances where the patient had given birth only two weeks earlier. Surgery was eventually carried out on Ms Perez when she presented at the hospital on December 4th, 2019. By this time the risk of uterine perforation was reduced. The material removed, only part of which was RPOC, had moved from the uterus to the cervix with the aid of prescribed medicines and Ms Perez was 'somewhat unlucky' the procedure was required, the court was told. Ms Perez said she was weak, fatigued and introverted for some time after the surgery, did not return to normal for nearly two years, and was prescribed antidepressants. However, the judge found her 'adjustment disorder' was caused by the stress of having to undergo surgery under general anaesthetic, something that was 'virtually unavoidable'. 'Fortunately [Ms Perez] states that she is now doing really well; she has a good life and feels very happy,' the judge said, as she dismissed the case.
The Sun
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Louise Thompson's fiance reveals harrowing moment she was ‘ten minutes from death' haemorrhaging blood at home
LOUISE Thompson's fiancé Ryan Libey has shared the terrifying moment she was 'ten minutes from death' after haemorrhaging blood 'like someone turning on a hose' weeks after giving birth to their son Leo. In a raw and emotional interview on Giovanna Fletcher 's podcast, Ryan spoke about Louise's traumatic labour that lasted over 36 hours - a nightmare that saw Louise fighting for her life. 6 6 6 The ordeal escalated into an emergency C-section that should have lasted 45 minutes but dragged on for almost four hours. Louise was awake throughout, losing a huge amount of blood. When Leo was born, he was in distress, suffering respiratory issues linked to meconium, a bowel obstruction in newborns. But the nightmare didn't end at the hospital. Weeks later, Louise suffered a haemorrhage at home that nearly killed her. He said: 'I was in our bedroom. She was in the spare bedroom. 'And we'd done that because, well, one, there's extra stairs to climb to get to our bedroom, and she was not mobile. 'Two, I just wanted her to go into a space where she could just rest and not worry about the baby or how untidy the bedroom was—just go somewhere that's ready for you. 'So she was in there, and just the shriek, or the shout, or the scream—whatever best describes this—just pierced through my body. 'And I must have flown from one bedroom down the staircase to the other. 'And I would describe it as like a gunshot victim on the floor. 'I've never seen blood like it. Not even compared to the hospital. I've never seen it." Ryan revealed their white bed sheets turned red while he was holding Leo, who was screaming. He said: 'I can't actually remember where Leo is in this moment in time. I feel like he's in my arms. I think he was with me versus in the bed with Louise. 'So he's in my arms, tiny little thing screaming, and Louise is in this bed which is filled with blood and sort of… 'Louise herself described the blood loss as if 'someone had switched a hose on.'" Ryan desperately tried to stop the bleeding with bath towels while holding their tiny son. He called 999, fearing she wouldn't survive the next ten minutes. He told them: ''If you don't get here in ten minutes, she's probably going to die, because the level of blood that I'm looking at is insane'. 'And these bath towels that I was trying to plug the bleed with quickly absorbed it and turned red. 'So I'm changing the towels. Louise is sort of slipping into this state of surrender, to be honest with… And then the ambulance did show up very quickly, actually. Louise Thompson's Full Health Battle THE Made in Chelsea alumni has always spoken candidly about her health - yet what does she suffer from? Ulcerative Colitis Louise was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis before becoming a mum. It is a condition which causes the colon and rectum to become inflamed - with her new stoma bag "saving her life" after the debilitating battle PTSD The Pocket sportswear founder was frank when she opened up on her post-natal birth struggles. She told how she had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in late 2022 following the birth of her son Leo. It came after she nearly died twice in childbirth in December 2021. Incurable Lupus Back in 2022, Louise was diagnosed with incurable Lupus. The autoimmune disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your tissues and organs. Blood loss In February 2024, it was revealed that she had once again been admitted to the hospital. In the aftermath, Louise told how she had "survived a second time" after losing three litres of blood. It came after the brave star haemorrhaged at home. Thankfully, paramedics arrived quickly and saved her life — but this was just one of multiple life-threatening episodes. Ryan also revealed Louise suffered a third major haemorrhage following a medical procedure months later. He described returning home from work to find Louise being loaded into an ambulance amid a scene he called 'a murder scene' in their bathroom. Ryan opened up about Louise's devastating battle with postpartum depression after the trauma. He said: 'We even had a crisis-management team come very regularly, which—to be really honest with you—was a suicide watch because she was so mentally checked out. 'Which is absolutely terrifying, and I don't think I've quite processed that one. I think that was… that was something that I wanted to reframe straight away." Louise has since proudly revealed she has had a lifesaving stoma bag fitted after a long health battle. She has also been battling PTSD and anxiety since giving birth to Leo in 2021. 6
