Dr Vaishnavy Laxman caused an unborn baby to be accidentally decapitated at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee
A doctor whose error caused an unborn baby to be decapitated has been cleared to return to work.
Dr Vaishnavy Vilvanathan Laxman mistakenly carried out a natural delivery, even though the premature infant was in the breech condition.
Tragically the baby's head was detached inside his mum's womb.
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MTPS) panel found Laxman, 43, should have given the 30-year-old patient an emergency Caesarean section.
The first-time mum was 25 weeks pregnant when it happened at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee in March 2014.
The tribunal found Dr Laxman's error of judgement led to the decapitation
The panel said "the only appropriate course" was a caesarean section as the baby - known as baby B - was in the breech position.
His head became trapped during the birth, and his "head became detached from his body" during efforts to free him.
MTPS said he had died before this happened.
On Tuesday, the tribunal cleared Dr Laxman of serious misconduct and said her fitness to practise was not impaired.
Dr Laxman was working at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee with a team of other doctors when the incident took place
It ruled the decision to proceed with a natural birth was "negligent and fell below the standards ordinarily to be expected" but did not amount to serious misconduct.
The panel's written decision said: "The failing which the tribunal has found proved was not sustained, persistent or repeated, but rather a single error of judgement made in very difficult circumstances.
"The tribunal was satisfied that throughout the attempted delivery of baby B, Dr Vilvanathan Laxman believed that she was acting in both patient A's and baby B's best interests, and that she genuinely believed that proceeding with a vaginal delivery was the optimum course to take in the circumstances which existed at the time."
The panel added: "The tribunal is satisfied that Dr Vilvanathan Laxman has expressed genuine and appropriate remorse for what happened, and she candidly accepted responsibility as the consultant in charge in theatre that day.
"Further, at no point has Dr Vilvanathan Laxman sought to blame others for what happened or to minimise her actions."
It was ruled that Dr Laxman should not receive a formal warning over the case and an interim order on her medical registration has now been revoked.
The report said: "In all the circumstances, the tribunal has concluded that Dr Vilvanathan Laxman's conduct did not fall so far short of the standards of conduct reasonably to be expected of a doctor as to amount to serious misconduct.
"In respect of patient safety, the tribunal was satisfied that Dr Vilvanathan Laxman does not currently present a risk to patients.
"Dr Vilvanathan Laxman's wrong decision related to an isolated, single incident in an otherwise unblemished career."
The panel concluded: "Nothing in this determination should detract from the fact that on March 16 2014 Dr Vilvanathan Laxman made a significant error of judgement which had serious consequences and a profound impact upon patient A and for which Dr Vilvanathan Laxman bears a heavy responsibility."
Source: Mirror
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