A PREMATURE 14-week-old baby could have survived if the medical history of the mother was properly noted – an inquest has concluded.

Elsie-Lynn Ann Ganley died at Burnley General Hospital on March 10, 2021, due to underdeveloped lungs which occurred as a result of the baby’s mother, Karen Hogg, having had her water break at just 19 weeks.

An inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard how Karen and her partner Liam, of Exeter Street, Blackburn, found out they were expecting a fourth child in July 2020.

Ms Hogg spoke with her midwife to discuss her medical history including previous miscarriages, having birthed small children and that she had previously been diagnosed with placental insufficiency following the birth of her youngest son.

As her pregnancy continued and she was assessed as being high risk, she had several visits with doctors, nurses and her midwife, but some of her medical history, most notably the placental insufficiency and a previous miscarriage, were not noted on her records, meaning preventative treatment and care was not provided.

Coroner Richard Taylor said: “The fact a full obstetric history wasn’t taken, wasn’t recognised, wasn’t listened to meant that observations that should have been done if that has been recognised weren’t done.

“Elsie’s causes of death are in themselves natural causes due to extreme prematurity.

“However – it just may be that something could have been done to prevent the rupture meaning this is unnatural.”

One of her doctors, Dr Martin Maher, a consultant obstetrician for East Lancashire Hospitals Trust at Burnley General Hospital, apologised to the pair for the ‘missed opportunities’ during her pregnancy.

Dr Maher said that Karen could have been given aspirin, heparin injections, and referred to the ‘prevention pre-term birth clinic’ throughout her pregnancy and it may have helped identify early signs of a rupture.

He said: “There was a missed opportunity to give her medications. We are very sorry for that.

“We can’t however ascertain the reason for the rupture so even with intervention, it may not have changed the outcome.”

On October 4, when Ms Hogg was 19 weeks pregnant, she visited an antenatal clinic who found that her waters had broken and that her daughter was exposed, with a concern of going into pre-term labour or infections.

She was asked whether she wanted to continue with the pregnancy, which she did, and she was given twice weekly blood tests and weekly urine and swab tests to be sure that everything was continuing as it should.

Dr Maher said due to the water being lost at 19 weeks, it was unlikely that the baby’s lungs would properly develop as they need the liquid for this as it helps the bronchioles to form which pass oxygen into the blood.

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In weeks following this, further scans completed by Dr Maher showed that Elsie’s chest was not growing as needed, meaning it was likely her lungs were not growing as needed.

Ms Hogg was admitted to Burnley General Hospital on November 22 for three days where she was given steroid injections to help with the baby’s lungs.

On November 26, at 26 weeks and five days, the day after she had been discharged, she again called the hospital as she was having contractions and she was asked to return where an exam showed that Elsie was in the breach position.

Elsie was born later that day and was put on an oxygen tube.

After 14 weeks of Elsie living on tubes, she died of severe bronco pulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypoplasia – with Elsie struggling to breathe due to her underdeveloped lungs.

Coroner Richard Taylor concluded: “Elsie died from complications of prematurity following a rupture of membrane for which an opportunity to anticipate was missed following a full obstetric history not being recognised.”

Since Elsie’s death, the hospital trust completed an investigation and has since implemented new procedures for obtaining the medical history of an expectant mother.