A British court has heard how nurse Lucy Letby – accused of murdering 7 babies – tried to kill the same baby twice within 24 hours.
Doctors could find no “clear” medical reason for why the premature infant dramatically collapsed at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Cheshire, in 2015.
Letby is charged with murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others between 2015 and 2016.
The 32-year-old nurse was working consecutive night shifts when the girl, known as Baby H, suffered a cardiac arrest and needed emergency resuscitation in the early hours of September 26 and 27, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Registrar Dr. Matthew Neame told Manchester Crown Court about his involvement with the second incident and how he was twice summoned by nurses on the shift.
Despite being without a heartbeat for up to 22 minutes, she survived and was transferred to a more specialist neo-natal unit at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral.
The first emergency bleep was received after a “profound” drop in Baby H’s blood oxygen levels and heart rate as medics discovered her breathing tube was blocked with secretions, the court heard.
Her parents told jurors that Baby H appeared ‘a different baby’ and came on ‘in leaps and bounds’ at Arrowe Park, where doctors quickly stabilised her. She survived without any lasting harm.
Several hours later at 00:55 BST on 27 September, Baby H suffered more profound desaturations while on a ventilator – but this time her breathing tube contained no secretions.
Baby H’s heart rate plunged to 40 beats per minute at 01:07 BST and full resuscitation, including chest compressions and doses of adrenaline, was needed for six minutes before she recovered.
The prosecution say Letby somehow sabotaged her care on both occasions. She denies two charges of attempted murder.
