AIIMS nurse death: Consequences of delaying a necessary C-section

New Delhi: In the backdrop of the death of AIIMS nurse Rajbir Kaur following her caesarean delivery, concerns associated with women's health and childbirth are being raised.

Usually a caesarean delivery is recommended when either the mother or unborn baby develops some medical complications, making a natural birth dangerous. While C-section is considered relatively safe, it does pose a higher risk of health complications when compared to a vaginal delivery.

However, delaying a necessary C-section can cause severe or permanent medical complications to the mother and the baby or even death. Therefore, it is the duty of doctors or hospital staff to monitor the patient's health history earlier in the pregnancy. Doing this, will help assess the likelihood of a high-risk delivery and prevent untoward complications. Afterall prevention of health complications during delivery begins at the start of pregnancy, which also includes physicians to keep a careful check on the signs of fetal health problems.

Unfortunately, although some high-risk pregnancies cannot be anticipated, doctors and hospital staff in the delivery room should be able to act swiftly. This is possible when a mother is fully monitored during her labor, else emergency signs of distress may be missed, resulting in death.

On Tuesday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences’ administration terminated services of a senior resident doctor in connection with the death of a nurse owing to medical negligence.

According to AIIMS Deputy Director V Sriniavs, the senior resident, Anaesthesiology, was found guilty of "wilful absence" and reached the operation theatre nearly an hour late.

“Due to his absence, the lower segment C-section was done without the nurse being given general anaesthesia," he said.

The 28-year-old nurse with AIIMS died on February 4, 2017, after being on ventilator support for three weeks following a cardiac arrest during an emergency caesarean section surgery.