An autopsy was performed late: in Cherkasy, the doctor who caused the death of the baby was sentenced

Based on the public accusation by the prosecutors of the Cherkasy District Prosecutor's Office, an obstetrician-gynecologist has been sentenced, and it is alleged that due to her negligence, a baby died.

The prosecutor in court proved that due to the doctor's negligent performance of her professional duties, she did not provide proper medical care to a pregnant woman, which led to the death of the child.

The incident occurred at the end of July 2019 at a hospital in the village of Chervona Sloboda, as reported in the court's decision registry.

The expectant mother was expecting twins. The first child was born without any problems. During the birth of the second fetus, asphyxiation occurred.

The accused, who worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist, is accused of the untimely performance of a cesarean section, which allegedly could have saved the baby's life.

"Complications arose in the form of the prolapse of the umbilical cord, which was accompanied by the presentation of the umbilical cord with an intact amniotic sac. The accused, due to her negligent attitude towards her professional duties, incorrectly provided medical assistance, did not conduct electronic fetal monitoring with recording on film, and after the appearance of indications for a cesarean section, performed it with a delay, with a violation of the fifteen-minute maximum interval. The operation was performed 22 minutes after the puncture of the amniotic sac and the presentation of the umbilical cord of the second fetus," as stated in the indictment.

The doctor partially admitted her guilt and assured that she acted within the protocols.

"Unfortunately, an unpleasant situation occurred, and she felt pulsating loops of the umbilical cord on the back wall with her fingers. She said it out loud. A pulsating umbilical cord is a loop that hangs at a level of 2-3 centimeters, possibly less; it can only be felt with your fingers. This is a complete fetal asphyxia. Usually, asphyxia leads to death. It took 14 minutes from the moment of diagnosis, and the extraction took place very quickly, within 3 minutes. The cesarean section was performed without any difficulties. The baby was transferred to a neonatologist for further treatment. She herself does not have the right to make decisions about a cesarean section," the accused doctor explained during the trial.

After the cesarean section, the baby was successfully resuscitated and was transported to the Cherkasy Regional Children's Hospital. However, the child died 40 days after birth due to complications arising during delivery.

During the court debates, the accused doctor asked to be acquitted.

The Cherkasy District Court found the medical professional guilty of improper performance of her professional duties and sentenced her to 3 years of imprisonment with a prohibition on practicing medicine for the same period. At the same time, the main punishment was replaced with 2 years of probation.

Additionally, 250,000 hryvnias will be collected from the municipal non-profit enterprise "Cherkasy Central District Hospital" of the Chervonoslobidska village council for causing moral damage.