Limerick inquest into baby's death hears scan results not acted upon

The jury in the inquest into the death of a baby who died a day after her mother was sent home from the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise has returned a verdict of medical misadventure.

Earlier the Limerick consultant who treated the baby's mother Amy Delahunt from Borrisoleigh County Tipperary has agreed the baby would have been born alive if doctors had acted on the results of a CTG scan.

Consultant gynaecologist at University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Mark Skehan has been giving evidence on the second day of the inquest into the death of Mary Kate Kelly.

Mark Skehan agreed with the proposition that had Mary Kate been delivered when her mother presented at Portlaoise on the 21st of May 2013, she would have been born alive.

He said he had last seen her mother Amy Delahunt when she was 30 weeks pregnant and everything was normal.

Dr Skehan confirmed that he called Consultant Obstetrician, Dr Miriam Doyle in Portlaoise to inquire about the CTG trace and said he was "surprised" when Dr Doyle called him back the following day to inform him the trace was 'not reassuring'.

In her evidence Dr Miriam Doyle said she had no recollection of Ms Delahunt on the 21st of May 2013 or speaking to the midwife about her case. However she accepted in principle that Ms Delahunt should have been admitted.

The Coroners court heard Mary Kate weighed just four pounds when she was born but this was within the norm range given the gestation period.

Dr Peter Kelehan, who reviewed the pathology results said the cause of death was uncertain but listed certain associations.

that could have contributed including signs of delayed maturation of the placenta, marginal insertion of the umbilical chord, and hyper coiling of the chord.