An 18-week old foetus was miscarried at St James's Hospital in Dublin while its mother was recuperating from burns sustained in a fire, an inquest has heard.
The foetus developed an infection and subsequently was miscarried but this could not be directly linked to the injuries its mother sustained, coroner Dr Brian Farrell told the court.
Nicola Carter, Casimir Road, Harold's Cross, Dublin, miscarried on January 14th, 2006. Ms Carter had sustained 20 per cent burns to her arms, back and hands when her long, gypsy-style skirt caught fire from a gas fire at home four weeks previously.
A statement from Ms Carter read out in court stated that staff at the hospital's burns unit did not communicate any potential risk to her unborn child as a result of her injuries.
Clinicians did express that the "pregnancy may complicate the healing process", her statement continued.
She awoke at the hospital one night in considerable pain and realised her waters had broken. A natural miscarriage had begun by the time the gynaecologist came to her assistance.
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell recorded an open verdict. An inquest into the foetus's death was held as initially the hospital believed the miscarriage was directly linked to the burn injuries Ms Carter sustained.
But after studying the post- mortem report, Dr Farrell concluded: "I'm not certain I can connect the miscarriage to the burns. There was a month between the miscarriage and the burns. I will just say that the baby miscarried due to an infection that occurred in the recuperating period."
He added: "I can't make a definite connection."
A report from plastic surgeon Dr David O'Donovan at St James's stated that Ms Carter underwent skin grafts at the hospital and up until a few days before the miscarriage, "the pregnancy was normal".
Dr Farrell commiserated with Ms Carter and her husband Tom on their "loss and tragedy".