A verdict of medical misadventure has been recorded at an inquest into the death of a baby who died six days before his first birthday after surgery at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Dublin.
A "conflict in evidence" was heard at Dublin City Coroner's Court as to whether the parents of Reece Doyle Byrne, Ballybrack, Co Dublin, were informed about the risks of the procedure to repair a congenital heart problem, the court heard yesterday.
The baby boy died on March 9th, 2004, after undergoing an operation that day when a pulmonary artery was accidentally ruptured and he suffered blood loss.
Pathologist Dr Michael McDermott told the inquest yesterday that the cause of death was a lack of oxygen to his organs "due to haemorrhage from a full-thickness tear".
Alan Doyle had told the inquest previously that while the risks of the operation were explained to the family, he was not told there was a chance his son might die.
Reece's mother, Sheelagh Byrne, said she met consultant paediatric cardiologist Kevin Walsh the day before the procedure, where he discussed the risks with her and obtained her consent.
"The way we were led to believe, or the way we interpreted it, was that it was a stroll in the park. There was a 98 per cent chance it would go fine and a 2 per cent chance something would go wrong . . . but death wasn't mentioned," she told the inquest on January 10th.
On the same date, Dr Walsh told the court that "without a doubt" he had informed Ms Byrne of the potential risks of the procedure.
"Dr Walsh explained in advance to the family," coroner Dr Brian Farrell said yesterday. "Ms Byrne gave a different account. There is a conflict in the evidence as to the advice given."
Dr Farrell said death was due to a complication of a medical procedure. "This occurred in a medical context and I offer the verdict of medical misadventure."
The child's birth at the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street on March 15th, 2003, was initially believed to be normal and he was allowed home the next day. However, he developed breathing problems and was rushed back to hospital the following day. It then emerged he had a congenital heart problem.
Four days after birth, the infant underwent an operation to repair an aorta, during which a temporary band was inserted to an artery to control blood flow. He made a good recovery over the coming months.
The second operation almost a year later was carried out to remove the band, which had progressively tightened. During the procedure, his pulmonary artery was ruptured and he suffered blood loss. Dr Walsh had previously told the inquest that this was a "relatively rare occurrence" but when it happened, "it can be catastrophic".