Hospital can give blood transfusion to baby, High Court rules

THE High Court has granted a Dublin maternity hospital orders allowing it to perform, if required, an emergency blood transfusion on a baby born prematurely just over a week ago.

The child, weighing less than 1kg, was born in the Coombe to parents who are Jehovah’s Witnesses and have refused to consent to a transfusion should it become necessary in an emergency.

Yesterday at the High Court, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said he was satisfied to make orders allowing the hospital to administer a blood transfusion to the baby girl — who cannot be identified by order of the court — should the need arise. The judge’s ruling means a transfusion will only be given to the baby should her condition deteriorate and it becomes necessary to save her life.

Eileen Barrington BL, for the chief executive of the hospital, told the court the baby was not in imminent danger, but medical staff treating her were concerned that if anything were to go wrong it could go wrong very quickly.

The baby was born at 28 weeks and five days last week and still weighed less than 1kg. Ms Barrington said she may require emergency treatment should she develop a serious condition, including an infection or respiratory difficulty.

If she developed an infection, the risks included permanent brain damage or death. Ms Barrington said doctors treating the child state the only way an infection could be treated is by transfusion of blood or blood products.

“While this has been explained to the parents, however they refuse to consent to a transfusion,” Ms Barrington said, adding that the hospital was “aware of and fully respected the parents’ religious beliefs”.

The child’s father, who was not legally represented, told the court the family were “very happy” with the treatment received from the hospital to date but they “could not consent to a blood transfusion”.

“We love our girl; we want the best for her,” he said, adding that the family would like “all other options to be tried first”.

He said his daughter was “not sick now, she is very well,” adding “the best we can hope for is that this would be used as a last resort”.

Granting the orders, the judge gave the parents permission to have the matter re-mentioned in court if circumstances change.