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The HSE has initiated an external review of the delivery of nine babies at Portiuncula University Hospital (“PUH”) in Ballinasloe, County Galway.
The review comes as incidents of Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy (“HIE”) in PUH were significantly higher than those observed nationally or internationally in a similar time frame.
Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy
One baby delivered in PUH this year, and six babies delivered in 2024, were diagnosed with HIE.
HIE is a life-threatening condition that can cause brain damage and happens before, during or shortly after birth. HIE can occur when the brain does not get enough blood and oxygen. Babies born with HIE may have neurological or development issues.
Therapeutic Hypothermia
Therapeutic hypothermia is considered the standard treatment for full-term infants with moderate to severe HIE. Hypothermia therapy involves cooling the baby quickly after birth and can reduce the risk of permanent brain damage from HIE.
Six of the babies included in the reviews were referred for neonatal hypothermic therapy. One of the babies who suffered lack of oxygen, and had to be sent for hypothermic treatment, was born last week.
In addition, the circumstances of two stillbirths from 2023 are also being investigated.
Previous Findings
In 2018, a Review of Maternity Services at PUH revealed that six babies born in 2014 required referral for therapeutic hypothermia, a figure considered above average at the time. This cluster of cases triggered an external clinical review, which uncovered significant issues at PUH, including poor communication among staff and ongoing staff shortages.
Conclusion
The latest round of reviews has just begun and is expected to take several months to complete. The findings from these reviews will be evaluated alongside those from previous reviews. We await the outcome of these reviews.
In the meantime, maternity services continue to operate as normally at PUH and a new team of “highly experienced” medics have been appointed to take over the running of PUH’s maternity services.
Further Information
For further details or if you have any concerns about your child’s birth in light of these findings, please contact Avril Scally, Partner and Head of our award-winning Medical Negligence & Personal Injury Team.