A Cork woman told the High Court yesterday she was discharged from hospital while still retaining parts of a dead foetus in her body. She has sued a gynaecologist and a hospital.
Ms Fiona Griffin (46), Connolly Street, Cobh, has taken proceedings against Dr Rachael Patton and a representative of the Bon Secours Hospital, College Road, Cork.
She is claiming damages for personal injuries, loss and other damage suffered as a result of alleged negligence of duty and breach of duty by the defendants. The defence denies the claims.
The court heard that, 17 weeks into Ms Griffin's pregnancy, a foetal death in utero was diagnosed, and she was admitted to the hospital.
Opening the action, Mr Sean Ryan SC, for Ms Griffin, said parts of the decaying foetus were passed by Ms Griffin while she sat on a toilet. This happened some time after the operation to remove the dead foetus, he said.
Mr Patrick Hanratty SC, for Dr Patton, suggested to Ms Griffin that the retained product was about 1.5cm in size, half the size of a finger-nail. Ms Griffin said: "It was bigger than that".
In evidence, Ms Griffin said she became pregnant in 1997 and was under the care of Dr Patton. On January 2nd, 1998, she was admitted to the Bon Secours Hospital with intermittent symptoms of pregnancy, but an ultrasound scan showed no foetal heartbeat.
She was admitted to the hospital to terminate the pregnancy by inducing spontaneous labour, but that was unsuccessful and she was discharged. She was readmitted on January 23rd for an evacuation of retained products and again discharged on January 26th with continued complaints of "abdominal" pains.
In evidence, Ms Griffin said Dr Patton had given her antibiotics on her discharge. She began to get pains and aches some time after returning home. After a week she realised things were not going as they should be.
She was due to see Dr Patton on February 26th and told her she was having a lot of pain and a lot of discharge. When she told Dr Patton she was anxious for a scan, she said the doctor told her it wouldn't be right after all she (Ms Griffin) had been through. Instead, Dr Patton had given her a smear test.
She went to her GP on March 12th and was given more antibiotics. Because she had an ulcer condition she was due to see a Dr Bennett on March 18th and complained about a pain in her stomach. A scan was taken, and she was kept overnight at the Mercy Hospital.
She had another operation on March 23rd 1998 under general anaesthetic and had a vaginal procedure to remove the material.
The pain started to ease, and there was definitely an improvement. She went home on March 25th, 1998, but it was a few months before she came around.
Dr Patton denies the claims of negligence, breach of duty and contract. She also denies she was negligent in not performing a hysterectomy on the plaintiff.
The case is expected to continue for several weeks.