Tragic Loss After Medical Misdiagnosis
A newborn baby has died after doctors at a Sussex hospital dismissed her mother's life-threatening internal bleeding as mere trapped wind. Kimberley Newark, 32, attended Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath on September 14, 2024, while 34 weeks pregnant, experiencing excruciating pain, fainting, dizziness, and weakness.
She described her symptoms as clearly abnormal, stating, 'I went to the hospital because I had fainted, was weak, dizzy and in excruciating pain - pain I knew was not normal.' Despite her distress, maternity staff attributed her condition to trapped wind, failing to recognize the severe internal haemorrhage that endangered both her and her unborn daughter, Olivia Trupiano.
Critical Delay in Emergency Response
Hospital personnel even instructed Ms. Newark's partner, Yann Trupiano, to return home overnight and come back the following day. Shortly after his departure, medical teams discovered a ruptured major blood vessel near Kimberley's stomach, causing massive internal bleeding and an estimated loss of 14 litres of blood, placing her life in immediate peril.
Olivia was delivered via emergency Caesarean section and required resuscitation due to severe hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, a condition resulting from insufficient oxygen or blood flow to the brain around birth. Ms. Newark was placed in a coma, and both mother and baby were transferred to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
Tragically, despite intensive medical efforts, Olivia passed away just five days later on September 19. Reflecting on the misdiagnosis, Ms. Newark revealed, 'They told me I had trapped wind and administered Buscopan alongside pain relief and IV fluids. My pain never subsided and it turned out I was bleeding internally.'
Family Devastation and Broader Concerns
The loss has profoundly impacted the entire family, including Ms. Newark's two older children, aged eight and ten. She expressed, 'This has absolutely devastated us. Our older children have struggled to understand why Olivia is not here with us... It has been devastating in so many ways.' The couple emphasized they repeatedly voiced concerns about Kimberley's deteriorating health but felt 'ignored and dismissed.'
Mr. Trupiano recounted the harrowing experience, saying, 'Our daughter died and Kimberley nearly died too - I put my trust in the medical staff. I was told to go home overnight and come back in the morning, and believed that Kimberley was in safe hands. Shortly after I left, I was called to say she was having an emergency Caesarean and she was in a critical condition.'
The grief has been compounded by learning that other families have suffered similar losses. University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust maternity services are currently under investigation following a review commissioned by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, prompted by concerns from nine bereaved families regarding baby deaths between 2021 and 2023.
Legal and Investigative Proceedings
The devastated couple, believing hospital staff missed vital warning signs, have instructed lawyers Slater and Gordon to investigate Olivia's care. Clinical negligence solicitor Ayesha Hussain, representing the family, stated, 'The loss of Olivia has been absolutely heartbreaking for Kimberley and Yann, and they have so many unanswered questions over what went so wrong in the care they received.'
She added, 'The fact that Olivia is one of several babies who died within University Hospitals Sussex's maternity services, whose deaths are subject to many questions, is deeply concerning and these families deserve full support and transparency from the NHS Trust.'
A University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust spokesperson confirmed that two reviews of Olivia's care have been conducted. Dr. Maggie Davies, chief nurse at the trust, told the BBC, 'We are desperately sorry for the loss of Olivia, and the trauma and grief we know this has caused everyone in the family. But we absolutely understand that nothing we can say can change the intense sense of loss they feel.'
A coroner's court has been informed that the family raised concerns about the timing of the ruptured artery diagnosis. Coroner Joanne Andrews indicated reasons to suspect Olivia's death was 'unnatural,' leading to an inquest, with an initial hearing held in Brighton in July last year.
