Kimberley Sampson, 29, and Samantha Mulcahy, 32, died of herpes in 2018 shortly after giving birth, as the same obstetrician performed C-sections on them. Two new mothers who died with herpes after having C-sections with the same surgeon were “unlikely” to have contracted the virus during surgery, a scientist in the investigation into their deaths said.
They were treated weeks apart at hospitals run by the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust (EKHUT) and their families have been waiting for answers for almost five years. Consultant clinical scientist Michael Kidd said today that it is “very difficult” to say when women are most likely to be infected.
The latest testimony comes after the inquest was heard yesterday by sexual health consultant Peter Greenhouse, who said the women were “probably” infected with the virus during their surgeries. He said medical evidence shows the chances that Ms Sampson and Ms Mulcahy’s infections came from a “common source” are “very high”, stating there is no “plausible biological explanation” for how they could have occurred. infected in the community before. upon admission to the hospital.
Kimberley Sampson and Samantha Mulcahy Cause of Death
“Exposure at the time of surgery is certainly the most likely explanation,” he said. But clinical scientist Kidd said today at the inquest in Maidstone, Kent, that the infection “could have been before the initial presentation”. It could have been some time after that.
“My view is that it is unlikely to have occurred in the context of an operating procedure.” He suggested that it may have been found “in the community, I can’t say where or at what stage”.
Ms Sampson died in May 2018 after giving birth at Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, and Ms Mulcahy died in July 2018 at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, both in Kent.
The surgeon, who cannot be named for legal reasons, previously told the hearing that her hands were thoroughly washed, double-gloved and he wore a mask during procedures. He also said that he had no injuries and was not infected, but he was not tested for the virus.
The investigation has reported two theories that could indicate that the doctor who performed the surgeries on both women was a potential source of infection. The first theory indicates that there could be a droplet infection at the time of surgery.
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Another theory suggests that the infection could come from a whitlow, which is a herpes infection on the finger. Medical staff work under strict rules about taking precautions to limit potential infection for themselves and their patients, the investigation said.
Dr. Kidd said that “those people are very careful about when they wear masks and gloves” and considered that it would take a “serious violation of professional precautions” to make it possible to spread the virus to the patient.
Asked whether it was impossible or less likely that the virus was spread by droplet infection, Dr. Kidd said that he “would have needed large droplets” to spread an infection and “I think it would have been pretty unlikely.”
Ms. Sampson’s procedure took a maximum of two hours and 40 minutes, while Ms. Mulcahy’s took a total of 90 minutes. Dr Kidd told the inquiry that “it doesn’t look like prolonged exposure to me for a mask to become less efficient.”
As to whether a doctor who had a whitlow could potentially be the cause of the infection, Dr. Kidd thought it “highly unlikely” that a surgeon wearing two pairs of gloves could have transmitted the virus.
He added: ‘I think it’s highly unlikely, but I would never say never. The surgeon has two gloves on and if he has never had injuries or oral injuries, and has given a sworn statement, then he would believe it.
He ruled out instruments used during surgery as having been sterilized, sexual transmission, or blood transfusion as possible sources of infection.
Ms Sampson’s baby, her second child, was born at Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in May 2018. She died at the end of the month in a London hospital. In July 2018, Ms Mulcahy, a new mother, died at William Harvey Hospital. The hearing was adjourned to May 12.
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