Inquest hears baby died after mother's ruptured artery was put down to trapped wind

Mixed · 2An inquest at Horsham has heard that a baby, Olivia, died after her mother Kimberley Newark's life-threatening internal bleeding was initially put down to trapped wind. 1 2 Mixed · 2Ms Newark, 31, went to Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, on 14 September 2024, when she was 34 weeks pregnant, with excruciating abdominal pain. 1 2 Mixed · 2The inquest heard the couple had repeatedly raised concerns about her deteriorating health in the days before admission, including anaemia, constant nausea, exhaustion, and stomach and back pain; after she fainted at home, they dialled 111 and her partner, Yann Trupiano, drove her to hospital. 1 2

Mixed · 2In A&E she reported vomiting, diarrhoea and almost constant severe pain; low blood pressure led to her being moved to a side cubicle and seen by a consultant, who said the pain was most likely trapped wind. She was given Buscopan, an antispasmodic, and paracetamol. 1 2 Mixed · 2She was admitted to the Bolney Ward, an antenatal/postnatal unit, and her partner was sent home. Less than an hour later the pain worsened; in a written statement she said she pressed the bell and was told to be quiet because other people on the ward were sleeping. 1 2 Mixed · 2She then fainted, and tests found the baby's heartbeat had dropped to 40 beats per minute, so an emergency caesarean section was carried out. 1 2

Mixed · 2During the operation doctors found that she had suffered a rupture of the splenic artery, causing the loss of about 11 litres of blood. The Mirror reports that surgeon Christie Swaminathan, called from Brighton, told the inquest he immediately suspected a splenic artery rupture or pseudo-aneurysm, and that a small bleed most likely became a catastrophic haemorrhage once the abdomen was opened and abdominal pressure was lost. 1 2 Mixed · 2Olivia was born not breathing, pale, unresponsive and floppy. She was resuscitated and moved to a specialist baby unit, where she was found to have severe hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain around birth. Her mother was put in a coma in intensive care, and both were later transferred to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. 1 2 Mixed · 2Tests showed Olivia had no brain activity, and her parents made the decision to remove ventilator support. She died on 19 September 2024. The Mail describes her as five days after birth and the Mirror as six days old. Her mother needed a blood transfusion and was discharged on 17 October after a month in hospital. 1 2

Right · 1Dr Dominic Yu, the A&E consultant who examined her on arrival, told the inquest nothing suggested internal bleeding or a splenic artery rupture (reported by the Mail). 1 Right · 1The couple believe hospital staff missed vital warning signs and have instructed lawyers Slater and Gordon. In a statement read to the court, Ms Newark said Olivia was loved and the couple had looked forward to her birth with hope, joy and excitement. 1 Mixed · 2University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, offered condolences. Its spokesperson said two reviews of Olivia's care had been carried out, and that it would help the coroner and was keen to meet the family again. Chief nurse Dr Maggie Davies said the trust was desperately sorry. 1 2

Left · 1The trust's maternity services are the subject of a full review chaired by Donna Ockenden, expected to assess the cases of more than 1,000 families from 2018 onwards, after up to 15 bereaved families raised concerns about baby deaths between 2021 and 2023. The inquest is continuing. 2