A CORONER has recorded a verdict of 'misadventure' following the death of a baby girl just hours after she was born at an East Lancashire hospital.

At an inquest at Accrington Town Hall yesterday, coroner Michael Singleton ruled that the suction method used to assist in the birth of Chloe Adamson contributed to her death.

Chloe was born on September 3 last year at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, but died later that same day.

Tests later revealed that she died from a metabolic condition as a result of asphyxiation around the time of her birth and a haemorrhage underneath her scalp.

Chloe, was the first-born child of Michelle Adamson and Gary Burton, of Roundhill View, Rising Bridge.

The inquest heard how Michelle, who had a normal pregnancy with no complications, had gone into hospital after her contractions started.

The baby's condition was monitored by staff at the hospital and although there were changes in her heartbeat the staff were not unduly concerned.

When the baby failed to arrive the decision was made to use the ventouse suction method and she was delivered at just after 5.40am on September 3.

But when Chloe was born she was grey-blue in colour and had to be resuscitated by staff and incubated. She was later transferred to the hospital's special care baby unit but died the same day.

A post mortem examination revealed that she died of metabolic acidosis -- raised acid levels in the blood -- due to perinatal asphyxia and a subaponeurotic haemorrhage, a collection of blood between the scalp and the skull.

Consultant paediatric pathologist, Dr Melanie Newbould, who carried out the post mortem examination, said it would be impossible to say whether different neo-natal management would have saved Chloe's life.

Professor Anthony Busuttil, a professor in forensic medicine at the University of Edinburgh, was asked by Lancashire Police and the coroner to carry out an investigation into Chloe's death.

He said that there had been some 'unavoidable' delays in staff arriving after Chloe's birth and in her being incubated and although there were some signs of problems during the course of the labour the baby's heartbeat had fluctuated to normality and Michelle had consented to the procedure.

He also told the inquest that there were no standard joint procedures in place at the hospital for the use of the ventouse method. In recording a verdict of 'misadventure' Mr Singleton, said: "My determination is that it was during the second stage of labour that Chloe sustained the asphyxia which brought about metabolic acidosis, which then led to her death.

"But it is also the case that the option of the ventouse procedure, which brought about the haemorrhage, contributed to her death.

"That procedure, it seems to me, could not be described as a natural event, albeit you may describe it as a necessary event."