Newborn who died in hospital: documents and medical records acquired – Chronicle
We will have to wait 60 days to establish with certainty the contours of the tragedy that took place at the Pertini hospital in Rome between 7 and 8 January, when a three-day-old baby died presumably crushed by his mother who fell asleep after breastfeeding him in her room . It will take 60 days to get the results of the baby’s autopsy. For now there is only one certainty: the woman tested negative for all toxicological tests and therefore the hypothesis that she had taken drugs or other substances that night has been set aside. Meanwhile, the investigation continues.
The investigators acquired a whole series of documents in the hospital, including the woman’s medical records to ascertain, among other things, whether she had taken the baby in her arms in the late afternoon and why she remained with the newborn until the evening, when the nurse on duty noticed the accident. In essence, the magistrates must clarify whether the protocols have been violated and whether there has been negligence, as reported by some family members of the little victim. At the moment the investigation file for manslaughter opened by the Roman prosecutors remains against unknown persons. The strategic management of ASL Roma 2 underlined that, as per practice, “a clinical audit was activated to verify the correctness and adherence to best practices and the appropriateness of the procedures” and all the documentation was delivered to the judiciary in possession to “allow investigations to be carried out which lead, as quickly as possible, to reconstructing the dynamics of the events and ascertaining any responsibilities”.
The ASL also recalls that Pertini “is a point of reference for the city of Rome and in particular for gynecology and obstetrics to provide quality assistance to women during pregnancy, reaching a total of 916 deliveries in 2022 with a growing trend compared to previous years”. Finally, the management underlined that the practice of rooming-in, i.e. the possibility that after delivery the newborn stays in the same room as the mother, is “by now consolidated in the national and international context to support contact between newborn and mother, right from the first hours after birth”. A practice that is also implemented in the Pertini hospital, where “all new mothers are informed of the risks associated with the management of the child, being furthermore informed, even with the request for a form, on the actions to be taken to avoid the occurrence of adverse events”. The death of the child, according to what the Breastfeeding Technical Table of the Italian Society of Pediatrics, Sip, explains, could also fall within the context of the “Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse”. “This definition – specifies Guglielmo Salvatori, head of the Table – expresses a rare and sudden event, sometimes a death, in most cases without explanation, which can occur in the first 7 days of life”. Pediatricians point out that there is no ideal position for breastfeeding, but invite “be vigilant that the baby breathes well and has a good complexion” and encourage rooming-in. “Keeping the newborn in the same room as the mother – they say – allows you to strengthen the bond and encourage breastfeeding. It is safer for the baby to sleep in the cradle, avoiding very soft mattresses or pillows. It is recommended that he sleeps on his stomach. Don’t be afraid to ask that the newborn be taken to the nursery if you need to rest.”It’s not something to be ashamed of – underlines the president Sip Annamaria Staiano -: tiredness after childbirth can affect all women, to different extents” .
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