Couple says baby may have survived if ultrasound given sooner; N.W.T. gov't reviewing case
'If they did their proper treatment, we could have had our baby in our hand[s],' says Mohammed Hossain
A woman in Yellowknife believes her unborn baby may have survived if she had been able to get an ultrasound at Stanton Territorial Hospital sooner, and now the N.W.T. Health and Social Services Authority is reviewing the case.
Tasmina Akter said she went to the hospital on Feb. 28 because her baby wasn't moving.
She said the doctor found the fetus's heartbeat, but wanted Akter to get an ultrasound. No one was available to perform one until the afternoon, she said.
By the time the ultrasound was performed, the baby had died.
"It's very, very hard. I pray [no] parents go through this kind of situation," said an emotional Akter in her home on Wednesday.
At about seven months pregnant, she said there had been no complications until lunch time on Feb. 27, when she no longer felt her baby moving.
Generally, pregnant women should feel at least six movements in two hours, according to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. If not, it's recommended that they inform their health care provider.
There is no specific recommended time frame for testing when fetal movements decrease, according to a study in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada; "however, in most studies with reduction in stillbirth rate, this testing was performed within one to 12 hours."
Akter still didn't feel any movement the next day, Feb. 28. She and her husband, Mohammad Hossain, went to Stanton Territorial Hospital at about 6 a.m.
A nurse checked for a heartbeat, and "the heartbeat was normal," Hossain said. Staff provided Akter with breakfast in an attempt to get the baby to move.
Later, a doctor took a look, asked a few questions, and determined that "everything was normal," Hossain said.
The doctor wanted her to have an ultrasound but said no one was available to perform it, and they were told to come back at 2 p.m., the couple said.
Shortly after the ultrasound got underway, by about 2:25 p.m., it was determined that the fetus had no heartbeat.
Hossain said he asked another doctor at the hospital why his wife was sent home earlier, but the doctor didn't have an answer.
Hossain questions the treatment his wife received, and thinks their baby might have survived if Akter was monitored at the hospital and given an ultrasound instead of being sent home.
The fetus was 29 weeks old at the time; babies born at that point can survive, according to the World Health Organization.
"Who is responsible for that? If they did their proper treatment, we could have had our baby in our hand[s]," Hossain said.
David Maguire, a spokesperson for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, said in an email on Wednesday that there would be a review, but he couldn't answer specific questions about the incident because of privacy rules.
When asked what should be done in situations involving lack of fetal movement and if an ultrasound is necessary, he said, "This would depend on specific factors in each case."
Damien Healy, a spokesperson for the territorial Department of Health and Social Services, said in an email that the hospital offers two kinds of ultrasound services:
- Diagnostic medical sonography exams, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Point-of-care ultrasound services, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
"Both of these services are typically fully booked, however urgent or emergency cases are accommodated," Healy said.
It's very, very hard. I pray [no] parents go through this kind of situation.- Tasmina Akter
On Feb. 28, those services were operating normally, he said.
Healy also said there are two and a half sonographer positions that the department has "been actively working to fill … for many years."
The vacancies are alleviated by visiting sonographers, he said.
Family waiting for cause of death
A funeral was held for the baby on Sunday.
Hossain said he's been told by hospital administration that the matter is being investigated. He's also waiting to learn the cause of death.
In his living room, partly filled with a crib and toys, Hossain said he wants to bring attention to what happened in the hopes of preventing it from happening to anyone else.