A doctor at South Tipp General Hospital has been found not guilty of seven counts of poor professional performance.
He was accused of misdiagnosing an ectopic pregnancy which allegedly led to the termination of a potentially viable embryo.
A Medical Council Fitness to Practice Inquiry heard that Laura Esmonde – a mother-of-three from Tipperary – attended the A&E department at South Tipp General Hospital on January 6th, 2013, with a swollen leg.
A number of years previously, she had suffered from a clot in her lung.
A routine urine test revealed that she was pregnant.
The following day an ultrasound of her leg showed she did have a clot.
Ms Esmonde also asked for an ultrasound of her pelvis, because she wanted to see the baby.
The sonographer said she couldn't see anything, and called in a consultant radiologist. He also performed a scan, and Ms Esmonde said he told her there was a possibility that she had an ectopic pregnancy.
On January 8th the doctor – referred to as Dr A during the inquiry – performed a scan, and, according to Ms Esmonde, told her she had “an ectopic pregnancy of unknown location”.
As a result of the diagnosis Laura Esmonde was given a drug to remove the suspected ectopic pregnancy, which some experts argued led to the termination of a potentially viable pregnancy
The Medical Council has found Dr a was not guilty of seven counts of poor professional performance.
Dr Michael Ryan, the chair of the inquiry, said the doctor was correct to make a diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy, given the circumstances and information available to him at the time.
