Failure to offer scan can lead to poor outcomes for mother & baby

Pregnant women attending one of the country’s largest maternity hospitals are exposed to “an unacceptable level of risk” because of failure to routinely offer a scan designed to detect foetal abnormalities, according to the head of foetal medicine.

In a letter seen by the Irish Examiner, consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist Keelin O’Donoghue outlines potential consequences for parents and staff at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH), including:

• The “distressing and traumatic event” of parents finding out after birth that their child has a major foetal anomaly — a scenario that happens “too frequently”;
• Staff unable to plan appropriate care in the absence of a antenatal diagnoses with poorer outcomes for babies, and potential for litigation.