Surgeon's knife cut my baby

The surgeon's scalpel accidentally cut into her unborn baby daughter, Tyler.

Tyler, who was delivered nine weeks prematurely, was rushed within hours of the birth to a Newcastle hospital for emergency plastic surgery, but she was still left with a disfiguring scar for the rest of her life.

Now two-year-old Tyler of Bell Farm, York, has been given £10,000 in damages by York Hospitals NHS Trust.

victory for girl scarred for life

Two-year-old Tyler Robinson has been left with a 13.5cm scar on her bottom after the incident at York Hospital.

She was delivered nine weeks premature - and then had to be rushed within hours of her birth to a Newcastle hospital for emergency plastic surgery.

Now Tyler has been given £10,000 in damages by York Hospitals NHS Trust, with the money - approved last week at York County Court - to be held in trust by the court until she is 18.

Hospital bosses have also apologised for what happened.

They said Tyler's caesarean was even more difficult than usual, and the case was now used when teaching junior doctors, to highlight possible problems when delivering premature babies by caesarean section.

Tyler's mother, Tracy, 31, and her husband, Darren, 33, of Kirkham Avenue, Bell Farm, York, told today how the birth of their fifth child ended up going wrong.

Tracy said: "It was nine weeks before she was due when my waters broke at home.

"I went into hospital, and they gave me drugs to try to stop the labour coming on.

"But they found a green tinge in the waters, and decided there might be an infection, so they needed to do an emergency caesarean section."

Then, after the caesarean, newborn Tyler had to be taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, in Newcastle, to undergo plastic surgery to clean up and suture the wound caused by the scalpel.

Tracy, who was separated for a day from her baby until she could get up to Newcastle, said: "We were shocked. But it was just as well Tyler was in breech position.

"If she had been the right way round, the wound could have been in a much more dangerous place.

"It was upsetting to be away from Tyler when she went up to Newcastle.

"Just after she was born, I just wanted to cuddle her. It was the longest 24 hours of my life."

She said Tyler had fortunately not suffered any permanent numbness or pain, and was currently unaware of her scar.

But she and Darren had concerns about comments other youngsters might make when she was a teenager and growing up, for example when she went swimming.

She said it might be that Tyler, who celebrates her third birthday in June, would choose to use the damages to pay for further plastic surgery when she was 18.

The couple's solicitor, Stuart Hanley, of York firm Langleys, said it had been a deeply traumatic incident, which had not only seriously injured Tyler but also caused her parents considerable distress.

He said: "The consultant plastic surgeon who has examined Tyler confirmed in his report to the court that she had been left with a permanent scar measuring 13.5 cm in length across her right buttock.

"It was fortunate that Tyler was in the breech position, otherwise this could have been an even more damaging incident, especially if, say, Tyler's face had been cut, or even worse if the scalpel had hit an artery.

"I am pleased that, following our intervention, the York Trust admitted full responsibility for Tyler's injury and, in turn, agreed the compensation settlement which has now been approved by the court."

It is not possible for scar to be improved

TYLER'S injury - and the long-term implications - were assessed by consultant plastic surgeon Martin Coady for a medical report.

He said Tyler suffered a ragged wound across the upper part of the right buttock, but fortunately without damage to the underlying sciatic nerve.

He said a surgeon at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle explored and washed out the wound, excised the edges, repaired the muscle with a suture and closed the skin with another suture.

The laceration had healed uneventfully and the scar had faded, but was permanent and now unlikely to change in appearance.

He said: "At present, it is not possible to improve the appearance or nature of this scar any further."

He said the majority of the scar would be hidden within underwear or swimming

costume, but the lateral third could be visible outside - and this might be enough to draw comment from others. Tyler's psychological reaction to her scar was at this stage impossible to predict.

What is a caesarean section?

It is a procedure in which a baby is surgically removed from the uterus, rather than being born vaginally.

An incision of about 20cm is made across the lower abdomen, and the baby is delivered through the skin after the womb is opened.

A section may be the only safe option for mother and baby in certain instances, for example when the obstetrician finds out the baby's health is threatened due to lack of oxygen, or there is vaginal bleeding and a natural delivery is not about to happen.

Experts say that, as with any major surgery, there are risks involved in a caesarean, mainly for the mother. They include heavy bleeding at the time of surgery and, after delivery, infection in the wound or the development of a blood clot in the leg veins.

Updated: 12:05 Monday, March 20, 2006