A rare syndrome or medical negligence killed a mother and her child in Velingrad, an autopsy will say (Review)

• 25-year-old woman from Rakitovo had a problem-free pregnancy, went to consultations regularly, leaves behind two children orphaned
• According to her husband, there was no doctor on duty when she was brought in, the hospital head denies
• The prosecutor’s office opened a case of death by negligence

A 25-year-old mother from Rakitovo died on December 28 in the Velingrad municipal hospital. Her baby was also born dead. Due to the tension, the police maintained order in front of the health facility, where the woman’s relatives had gathered yesterday afternoon

they protest that it was not treated in time

She was taken to the hospital on December 28 at around 4:30am. The woman also has two other children. She had no disease, she went to counseling while pregnant. According to her husband, when she arrived at the health facility, there was no doctor on duty.

However, the director of the hospital, Dr. Dancho Gurdev, denies this.

“The woman was received by the doctor on duty, Dr. Chavdar Kalachev, a surgeon who was on time at the Velingrad hospital at that time. The mother was accompanied by three women, most likely her relatives. Dr. Kalachev immediately called an obstetrician-gynecologist and a team was formed,” Dr. Gurdev told “24 Chasa”.

The hospital wrote on its social network profile that it had done everything possible to save the expectant mother and the newborn. The efforts of the doctors lasted three hours.

“Our doubts are that this is a rare syndrome,” commented Dr Gurdev. He added that the results of the autopsy, which is underway at the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Pazardzhik Regional State Hospital, are awaited.

The Velingrad hospital notified the District Prosecutor’s Office and the Pazardzhik District Office, as well as the regional health inspectorate, where a report on the case was sent.

“We want to collaborate with all the institutions to really understand how the woman died,” said the hospital’s chief physician.

Dr Gurdev also said that when he was called as an anesthetist in the morning, the woman had no heart sounds and was not breathing. She was unconscious. The doctors managed to restore some of the indicators and only then proceeded to surgery. However, towards the end, the woman in labor died.

“The tragedy is great and we want to find out if that’s what we suspect. For more than three hours we fought for both the woman and the fetus, but unfortunately things ended in the worst way,” commented Dr Gurdev.

He is adamant that this is not a medical error. Nine doctors participated in the rescue of the mother and child – from the department of surgery, anesthesiology and the AG department.

“We assume it’s amniotic embolism and DIC syndrome, but it is,

only pathologists and coroners can tell,” Dr. Gurdev adds. With such complications, the fatal outcome is nearly 80 percent of cases even in large hospitals, he says.

The exact cause of death will be clear when the autopsy results are ready. Pathohistological studies have been initiated, which take a week.

The relatives filed a complaint with the police. The Pazardzhik District Prosecutor’s Office specified that it was started

before trial for causing death by negligence

due to ignorance or negligence in the performance of a legally regulated activity which represents a source of increased danger. Witness interviews are underway, two complex forensic medical visits have been scheduled and all medical documentation has been requested. The investigation will be completed within the legal deadline, which is 2 months, they ensure from there.

26-year-old woman from Rakitovo had no problems during pregnancy, went to visits regularly, leaves two children orphaned

According to her husband, there was no doctor on duty when she was brought in, the hospital head denies

9 doctors fought for his life for three hours