St. Teresa’s Maternity and Nursing Home in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, has defended itself against claims of medical negligence following the death of 32-year-old Phylis Wanjiru, who died soon after giving birth through a cesarean section.
Phylis died on September 9, after being admitted to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) hours after undergoing an operation at the Kikuyu center.
Her death has since been questioned and questioned, which is why the hospital issued a statement on Wednesday.
St. Teresa’s reports Phylis was admitted to the hospital with severe lower abdominal pain.
The physicians noticed that she had two previous C-sections and an ultrasound that she had undergone days earlier showed her baby was sideways (transverse lie).
With signs of active labor, doctors opted for an emergency cesarean section under spinal anesthesia.
Intraoperatively, they discovered she had placenta previa a condition where the placenta lies lower than normal in the uterus, and bleeding is typically heavy.
Despite the complication, doctors reported that blood loss during the procedure was negligible, and a normal female baby weighing 3.1 kilograms was delivered safely.
However, after about six hours, Phylis experienced secondary postpartum hemorrhage excessive bleeding that is more likely to occur in women with multiple cesarean sections.
The on-duty surgeon and gynecologist opted to transfer her to KNH. St. Teresa’s made sure she was “alert and stable” during transfer and reached the referral hospital.
A follow-up the next morning, the facility said, confirmed that Phylis was subjected to further surgery at KNH and was in the Critical Care Unit recovering. The facility said it subsequently found out that she passed away around 11 a.m.
Postmortem findings, said St. Teresa’s, were that she died due to Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) a low-frequency but normally fatal state of affairs where the body’s blood-clotting system becomes perilously overactive.
“Acted in a timely manner and in line with professional standards to provide the optimal care,” the hospital replied, dismissing the claim of negligence led to Phylis’ death.
Her husband, Dennis Wanyonyi, however, rejected that explanation. KNH doctors, he claims, complained about procedures that had been undertaken at St. Teresa’s, which caused tense discussions between the two medical teams.
The four-time dad referred to his family’s tragedy as tragic, saying that attempts at seeking justice only ended up augmenting the suffering. “When I reported, I was kept shuttling between Kikuyu Police Station and the KNH police post,” he said.
He is now asking the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to launch an inquiry and bring to justice whoever is to blame for the death of his wife.
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