Deceased
Baby M
Demographics
2y, male
Coroner
Lock
Date of death
2008-11-29
Finding date
2012-06-29
Cause of death
Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy
AI-generated summary
Baby M was born at term (35-38 weeks gestation) into a toilet bowl at home on 27 November 2008 after an unrecognised pregnancy. The mother reported no awareness of pregnancy despite a positive pregnancy test earlier in the pregnancy that she denied. Baby M remained in the toilet for approximately 5 minutes before retrieval. Resuscitation commenced at scene around 15-20 minutes after delivery. Despite advanced life support, Baby M suffered irreversible hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy from prolonged oxygen deprivation and aspiration, and died on 29 November 2008. The clinical lesson is that unrecognised pregnancy can occur even with clinical contact; healthcare providers should maintain suspicion for pregnancy in women of reproductive age presenting with abdominal pain, despite reported periods or recent surgery under general anaesthesia. Early recognition and appropriate emergency response to perinatal events are critical.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Clinical conditions
Procedures
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Daniel Wright was a premature infant (born at 24 weeks) with multiple complex medical needs including chronic lung disease, developmental delay, and failure to thrive. He died aged eight months from prematurity-associate…
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Zamia Ely-Smith died at 3 days of age from hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy due to chorioamnionitis following home birth at term. Clinical lessons include: (1) decreased fetal movements at 39+ weeks gestation and hospita…
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