Woman, foetus died during childbirth: Relatives stage protest with dead body at Kozhikode hospital

Kozhikode: Relatives of the woman who died during treatment after losing her foetus staged a protest on Saturday at the private hospital in Kozhikode with her body, alleging medical negligence. The protestors also demanded immediate action against the doctor who attended her. 

The woman, Aswathy (35), died on Friday during childbirth at the Malabar Medical College (MMC) Hospital in Kozhikode. However, the hospital authorities said that Aswathy developed sudden complications, including a rise in blood pressure, making her condition worse while they were prepping her for a C-section.

After conducting an autopsy at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, relatives took Aswathy’s body to the MMC on Saturday, where locals also joined them in protest in front of the casualty. The protestors also had a verbal altercation with the police officials who were deployed at the scene. Activists of the Youth Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also participated in the demonstration. They have also blocked the public road near the hospital, disrupting traffic.

Aswathy was the wife of Vivek from Arpatta, Unnikulam, Ekarool. According to a relative, Aswathy was admitted to a private hospital in Ullyeri on September 7 for delivery. As labour did not start naturally, she was given medication on Tuesday. However, with no improvement, additional medication was administered on Wednesday to induce labour. When the labour pain began in the afternoon, the hospital assured the family that a normal delivery was possible. However, as the pain intensified at night, Aswathy requested a C-section, but the doctor reportedly refused.

Early Thursday morning, relatives saw the hospital staff take her away on a stretcher. Shortly after, the hospital informed them that her uterus had ruptured, resulting in the death of the foetus. The family was told that if the uterus was not removed, Aswathy’s life would be at risk. They consented to the procedure, but her condition worsened, and she was placed on a ventilator. The hospital informed the family that it would take 48 hours to provide a clearer update on her condition. They allege that despite repeated requests, the doctor refused to perform a C-section.

According to the hospital authorities, Aswathy was admitted three days ago. She was 35 weeks pregnant. The baby's heart rate was stable and blood pressure of Aswathy was also being controlled. The doctors confirmed signs of foetal distress on Thursday morning, and she was immediately shifted to the operation theatre to undergo a C-section. However, the patient's condition deteriorated suddenly, and a uterine rupture (tear in the uterine wall) was spotted. This led to placental abruption (separation of the placenta from the uterine wall before birth). The blood supply to the baby was cut off, and the baby died. The foetus was taken out.

By then, the patient started bleeding excessively, and nearly 45 bags of blood and other components were transfused to save the patient. Such massive transfusion caused another complication termed DIC ( Disseminated intravascular coagulation), which triggers blood clotting disorder leading to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). "We gave medicines to prevent this, but on Friday morning, she had to be shifted to another hospital to perform an ECMO. We understand that the patient suffered a cardiac arrest there. Although they tried to revive her, she underwent another cardiac arrest and died," said Dr Ravindran, Medical Superintendent, MMC.