Hospital Aborts Wrong Twin in Horrible Mistake

[HockeyGirl]

A MAJOR Melbourne hospital has launched an official investigation after one of its clinicians accidentally terminated a healthy 32-week old twin within a pregnant patient.

The procedure was carried out at the Royal Women's Hospital earlier this week on a woman who was pregnant with twin boys.

She had decided to abort one of the babies on the advice of doctors who told her the baby had a congenital heart defect which would seriously threaten his survival.

But the wrong baby was terminated, despite earlier checks by an ultrasound technician.

The baby with the heart problem was also then terminated after the mistake was uncovered.

A hospital spokeswoman this morning said an independent investigation would be carried out.

"This is a terrible tragedy and the hospital is deeply sorry for the loss suffered by the patient and her family," the spokeswoman said.

"We are conducting a full investigation and continue to offer the family and affected staff every support."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1226204303788

[whackjob]

oh sweet jesus! i can't imagine what that mom must be going through. i also don't understand why the doctors would suggest terminating at 32 weeks if the other twin likely wasn't going to make it anyway. if he died in utero, would that have affected the "healthy" twin? did they think it would be more traumatizing for her to give birth to the not healthy twin? now she has nothing because they goofed. insane.

[irishkat]

Most likely the twin would have died after birth. I'm not being judgmental, but I would have just waited. This is sad.

[bowieluva]

Most likely the twin would have died after birth. I'm not being judgmental, but I would have just waited. This is sad.

They were probably concerned that it would risk the health of the other one. But geez. This reminds me of that south park where Butters is dressed like a puppy and has a ninja star in his eye, so they take him to the vet, and the vet's like 'guess I'll just murder you' and then he escapes and the vet's like 'guess I'll just murder one of these other dogs.'

[irishkat]

Looks like in most cases it's safe to carry the dead baby. http://www.multiplebirthsfamilies.co.../ber_q14.shtml

[morbidT]

oh sweet jesus! i can't imagine what that mom must be going through. i also don't understand why the doctors would suggest terminating at 32 weeks if the other twin likely wasn't going to make it anyway. if he died in utero, would that have affected the "healthy" twin? did they think it would be more traumatizing for her to give birth to the not healthy twin? now she has nothing because they goofed. insane.

I don't understand this either. I don't think a baby with a congenital heart defect is putting the other baby in harms way, so why terminate at 32 weeks? Let it deliver and die. I have a hard time believing that the baby wouldn't live anyway. Wait til it's born before making that assumption. There have been plenty of cases where a baby was "diagnosed" unlikely to strive after birth. The parents refused to terminate and the baby did fine. OR, there are the cases where the same diagnosis and once the baby delivered, had surgery, and made it. Some don't, but some do, so why not try? Once case I remember is the Hopkin's series on ABC (I think). If the baby would have died in utero, it would affect the healthy baby, and mom. It's dead tissue and it would act as an "infection" and cause harm. Simplest way I can describe it. I kind of don't like the parents much for going along with this. They probably would have been born in a few days to a very short couple of weeks. Twins typically deliver earlier than the normal 36 weeks. I don't get it.

[morbidT]

Looks like in most cases it's safe to carry the dead baby. http://www.multiplebirthsfamilies.co.../ber_q14.shtml

I stand corrected. They must have been fraternal twins. One big give away is that only one had the heart defect, so they could not be identical.

[HockeyGirl]

i would like to add, for no reason, that i didnt title the article this.
I copied it from a news source. Even though it is totally horrible, I probably would have left that word out

[irishkat]

i would like to add, for no reason, that i didnt title the article this.
I copied it from a news source. Even though it is totally horrible, I probably would have left that word out

I think it's a reasonable title. Explains what happened. No worries.

[HockeyGirl]

i always try to sound un-biased when I post things.
I fail sometimes

[danakscully64]

That's beyond horrible. I also would have carried to term, there's always a chance the child could have lived and been very healthy. My ex's best friend was a twin, but he either died in utero or immediately after birth. Sad.

[emmieslost]

i'm sure people assume that the doctor knows what is best.

[morbidT]

i'm sure people assume that the doctor knows what is best.

Yeah, and then you hear about all the docs who cheated on their boards. I just don't see how a diagnosis can be made from an ultrasound, through a belly. I just can't get over that they were 32 weeks and this decision was made. They would have delivered very, very soon. It just seems weird.

[Peavey]

My son was diagnosed by two doctors with a two vessel cord via ultrasound at 24 weeks. I thought he would have a host of medical problems. I had a 3 vessel cord all along.

[morbidT]

My son was diagnosed by two doctors with a two vessel cord via ultrasound at 24 weeks. I thought he would have a host of medical problems. I had a 3 vessel cord all along.

Oops. MY niece was suppose to be a boy. When my brother brought home the ultrasound he was like, "Right there, his wiener is RIGHT THERE!" I was like, "I don't see it, but I also don't know how to read an ultrasound." Since my brother was having a boy, everyone gave him boy stuff. When he came out and said it was a girl, we went shopping. Anyway, gender isn't anything compared to this story, but it does go to show that docs can't even get gender right and they want parents to terminate a baby at 34 weeks because they think it has a heart defect?! Scary stuff.

[bowieluva]

Randomly, I was just reading a bunch of shit about twins and risks and a lot of medical stuff recommended aborting one fetus because of the risk it put the mother in if a baby was likely not viable etc. However, they were all cases where the twins would have been identical and one's shitty health was endangering the mother and the other twin. Stuff like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolyt...of_the_newborn

[wmdeeznuts]

+1 for Pro Lifers.

[g r ee n ey e s]

I wouldn't go that far.. even the pro-lifers allow for hipocrasy. :sidethefuckeye:

I should hope this hospital compensates this couple in gold. I couldn't imagine being pregnant with twins, have to deal with losing one and then having the healthy one 'accidentally' taken out.. I just don't know how I would come back from something like that.

[wmdeeznuts]

How do you come back from it???

That's easy. Start making more kids!

It's free!

[Ron_NYC]

I wouldn't go that far.. even the pro-lifers allow for hypocrisy. :sidethefuckeye:

I should hope this hospital compensates this couple in gold. I couldn't imagine being pregnant with twins, have to deal with losing one and then having the healthy one 'accidentally' taken out.. I just don't know how I would come back from something like that.

[g r ee n ey e s]

One more time..

[portia311]

I'm new here, and this is my first post :) I just have to add.. with my pregnancy test after test was performed and the doctors said my baby had cysts in her brain and other abnormalities. They said she was very likely to have downsyndome. And of course there is the option to abort. But that was not an option for me. I have a healty normal beautiful baby girl with no signs of, well anything but normal. She will be four this month and she is my reason for living. I'm glad I did not listen to the doctors, I'm glad i listened to my heart.

[Ron_NYC]

I'm new here, and this is my first post :) I just have to add.. with my pregnancy test after test was performed and the doctors said my baby had cysts in her brain and other abnormalities. They said she was very likely to have downsyndome. And of course there is the option to abort. But that was not an option for me. I have a healty normal beautiful baby girl with no signs of, well anything but normal. She will be four this month and she is my reason for living. I'm glad I did not listen to the doctors, I'm glad i listened to my heart.

Docs told my mom I might have weak legs and muscles and whatever, but I played football and was on the track and field team in high school. My mom was like 59 when I was born though, and it was the 70s, so they were probably just guessing.

[bowieluva]

Docs told my mom I might have weak legs and muscles and whatever, but I played football and was on the track and field team in high school. My mom was like 59 when I was born though, and it was the 70s, so they were probably just guessing.

so your mom is like 108 now.

[Ron_NYC]

so your mom is like 108 now.

I AM NOT THAT OLD!