Life chance lost (From Penarth Times)

Life chance lost

LLANDOUGH Hospital hasbeen ordered by the High Court to pay substantial damages after a young local mother bled to death while giving birth at the site.

Mr Justice Astill ruled managers at South Wales Healthcare NHS Trust were responsible for the death of Barry woman Christine Wood, 36. She died in June 1994 after giving birth to her third son Oliver.

The level of damages the family will receive will be decided at another court hearing if settlement terms are not agreed in the meantime. Based on other similar cases, the pay-out will probably be well into six figures.

Mr Justice Astill said although Mrs Wood was suffering from a rare genetic blood disorder known as Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia, the hospital should have done more to prevent her death.

"She should have been transferred to a specialist centre well in advance of giving birth and enquiries would have been made both nationally and internationally about how to deal with her rare disease," he said.

Justice Astill said evidence given by Professor Jacques Caen, who had flown from France for the hearing, had persuaded him Mrs Wood would have had a 66-75 per cent chance of survival if she had gone to a unit where "specialist haematologists" were available.

He earlier made it clear he needed to find Mrs Wood had "a greater than 50/50 chance of surviving" to make the NHS Trust liable.

Describing Prof Caen as a man "who was dedicated his life to the study of Glanzmann's Throm-basthenia" and "second to none" in its treatment, Mr Justice Astill said his evidence supported the probability Mrs Wood could have survived.

Left to grieve were Mrs Wood's husband, Stephen, and her sons Jonathan, now 14, Christopher, now 11, and Oliver, now seven, of Caradoc Avenue, Barry.

Mr Justice Astill said Mrs Wood died when she haemorrhaged huge amounts of blood in the week after she had given birth to Oliver by Caesarean section. She died on June 22, 1994.

Platelet antibodies in Mrs Wood's blood meant she had difficulty creating blood clots - a condition similar to haemophilia.

Her platelet count fell dramatically during the week following the birth and despite transfusions of blood and platelets medical staff were unable to prevent the haemorrhaging.

The South Wales Healthcare NHS Trust were refused permission to appeal against the decision.