Doctor negligence suspected over death after delivery under anesthetic
Today 06:00 am JST
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OSAKA
Police have referred a doctor at an Osaka maternity clinic to prosecutors on suspicion of negligence over the death of a mother who gave birth in January under epidural anesthesia.
Masaaki Oiki, 59, is suspected of failing to provide the 31-year-old mother Chie Nagamura with adequate medical treatment during her delivery at his clinic in Izumi, Osaka Prefecture.
It is rare for a doctor in Japan to face criminal responsibility over deaths linked to so-called painless delivery, which is practiced less in Japan than other countries but has recently been gaining popularity.
According to the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 14 women have died since 2010 during or after deliveries involving anesthesia, prompting the health ministry to look into such cases.
The police requested prosecutors indict Oiki, investigative sources said.
The doctor applied local anesthesia to Nagamura's epidural space near the spinal cord on Jan. 10. He is suspected of injecting a tube too deep, resulting in an excessive effect from the anesthesia, according to the police.
After Nagamura suffered respiratory failure and fell unconscious, Oiki allegedly failed to revive her by artificial respiration or other means. The woman died on Jan. 20 of cerebral hypoxia, but her child was born safely through caesarian section.
According to the police, Oiki admitted overall to his failure to provide her with artificial respiration, saying he could not "keep up with her rapidly changing condition."
During the delivery, Oiki and nurses took turns monitoring Nagamura's condition. She complained of difficulty breathing after being placed under anesthesia but the doctor allegedly failed to regularly check her blood pressure to assess the impact of the drug.
Painless delivery helps quick post-delivery recovery and the mothers' early return to work. In a June survey conducted by the obstetricians and gynecologists' association on about 2,400 medical institutions across Japan, the rate of painless deliveries grew from 4.6 percent of all deliveries in fiscal 2014 to 6.1 percent in fiscal 2016.
But experts warn of adverse effects and errors that could result in death or health failure, while noting the importance of establishing a system in which doctors can properly respond to sudden changes in the women's health conditions.
A series of malpractice cases over the use of anesthesia during labor in Japan have come to light recently. A Russian mother who received an epidural in Kyoto in 2012 became bedridden, along with her daughter, while a mother and son died following a labor involving anesthesia in Kobe in 2015.
© KYODO
Today 06:00 am JST
6 Comments
OSAKA
Police have referred a doctor at an Osaka maternity clinic to prosecutors on suspicion of negligence over the death of a mother who gave birth in January under epidural anesthesia.
Masaaki Oiki, 59, is suspected of failing to provide the 31-year-old mother Chie Nagamura with adequate medical treatment during her delivery at his clinic in Izumi, Osaka Prefecture.
It is rare for a doctor in Japan to face criminal responsibility over deaths linked to so-called painless delivery, which is practiced less in Japan than other countries but has recently been gaining popularity.
According to the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 14 women have died since 2010 during or after deliveries involving anesthesia, prompting the health ministry to look into such cases.
The police requested prosecutors indict Oiki, investigative sources said.
The doctor applied local anesthesia to Nagamura's epidural space near the spinal cord on Jan. 10. He is suspected of injecting a tube too deep, resulting in an excessive effect from the anesthesia, according to the police.
After Nagamura suffered respiratory failure and fell unconscious, Oiki allegedly failed to revive her by artificial respiration or other means. The woman died on Jan. 20 of cerebral hypoxia, but her child was born safely through caesarian section.
According to the police, Oiki admitted overall to his failure to provide her with artificial respiration, saying he could not "keep up with her rapidly changing condition."
During the delivery, Oiki and nurses took turns monitoring Nagamura's condition. She complained of difficulty breathing after being placed under anesthesia but the doctor allegedly failed to regularly check her blood pressure to assess the impact of the drug.
Painless delivery helps quick post-delivery recovery and the mothers' early return to work. In a June survey conducted by the obstetricians and gynecologists' association on about 2,400 medical institutions across Japan, the rate of painless deliveries grew from 4.6 percent of all deliveries in fiscal 2014 to 6.1 percent in fiscal 2016.
But experts warn of adverse effects and errors that could result in death or health failure, while noting the importance of establishing a system in which doctors can properly respond to sudden changes in the women's health conditions.
A series of malpractice cases over the use of anesthesia during labor in Japan have come to light recently. A Russian mother who received an epidural in Kyoto in 2012 became bedridden, along with her daughter, while a mother and son died following a labor involving anesthesia in Kobe in 2015.
© KYODO
