A consultant obstetrician who has delivered more than 10,000 babies has denied before the High Court claims that he had delivered a baby girl "in one pull" or "yanked out" the infant during delivery in a Cork hospital in 1996.
Dr Patrick Kieran, a consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist at the Bons Secours Maternity Hospital, College Road, Cork, also rejected a claim that he wagged his finger at the child's mother before the birth on January 20th 1996 saying he would give her one hour before he would induce her. Yesterday was the eight day of the hearing of an action for damages brought by Emma O'Sullivan against Dr Kieran and the hospital. The child is suing through her father, Mr Colman O'Sullivan, Greybrook, Waterfall, Co Cork.
Ms Ann O'Mahony, Emma's mother, claimed the child had been "yanked out" on delivery at the hospital. It is alleged that during delivery of Emma the child developed difficulty with delivery of her anterior shoulder as a result of which she suffered and continues to suffer severe personal injuries and other damage. Emma is alleged to have a shoulder dystocia and to have suffered pain, shock and distress along with a fracture of the right clavicle. It is claimed she had severe impairment of movement of the right upper limb together with decreased muscle bulk of the right hand and arm.
There was also scarring of the right shoulder and loss of function of the shoulder and upper limb, it is alleged. Yesterday, rejecting the allegation that he had wagged his finger at Ms O'Mahony before the delivery, Dr Kieran said he would never make such a gesture. "I don't threaten patients. It sounds like a threatening gesture to me. I have never threatened a patient in my life."
When it was suggested by Mr Henry Hickey SC, for Emma, that he had never introduced himself to the child's father, who was present at the birth, Dr Kieran said he always introduced himself.
He denied he had made any jocose remarks about a bet whether the baby would be delivered before midnight. To say such a thing would be a very callous remark, he said. Shoulder dystocia was not something a person would joke about and he didn't recall ever making a remark like that in his life, he added.
He said he remembered the sound of a crack but did not remember Mr O'Sullivan drawing attention to it.
Asked about how frequently shoulder dystocia may occur, Dr Kieran said he could not recall an exact number but understood it could occur, on average, in four per one thousand births.
The case continues today.