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Dublin Coroner's Court RollingNews.ie

Baby died due to toxic effects of cocaine, inquest told

Baby James was stillborn at the Rotunda.

A STILLBORN BABY died due to the toxic effects of cocaine, an inquest has heard.

Baby James was born at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin on 25 May 2016. His mother was a known drug user who was on a methadone programme for heroin addiction.

Paramedics responded to a call for an ambulance shortly before her son was stillborn in hospital, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.

The woman walked out to the gate of her home to meet the ambulance upon its arrival at 8.33pm, paramedic Stephen O’Neill said.

“She met us at the gate when we pulled up. All her vital signs were normal so we proceeded to hospital,” he said.

Baby James was stillborn at the Rotunda at 9.11pm.

In her autopsy, pathologist Dr Emma Doyle described the baby as normally formed but small for 39 weeks gestation. She noted an acute hypoxic ischemic event that deprived the baby of oxygen and said this may have happened in the days before birth. The cause of death was a brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation to the brain, due to reduced placental blood flow due to the toxic effects of cocaine.

A toxicology report conducted on the baby’s remains found evidence of cocaine, methadone and a variety of benzodiazepines, Dr Doyle told the inquest.

The pathologist said that in her opinion the lack of blood supply to the baby was caused either by a redirection of the blood supply from the placenta to elsewhere in the mother’s body or due to the direct effect of cocaine on the foetus. Dr Doyle said there was no range reference for the effects of cocaine on the foetus but said toxicology findings indicated high levels of cocaine had been consumed by the mother.

“There is evidence of levels that can cause death in adults,” Dr Doyle said.

Cocaine alters the placental function by diverting blood flow away from the placenta, the pathologist told the inquest.

“It is my understanding that this was not the first occasion she’d come in (to the hospital) with cocaine in her urine,” Dr Doyle said.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned a narrative verdict outlining the sequence of events surrounding the baby’s death, including the date and cause of death.

The coroner extended her sympathies to the family, who were not present in court but had been made aware the inquest was taking place.

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    Mute Shaun Gallagher
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    Nov 15th 2022, 9:54 AM

    Our carbon tax is working well.

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    Mute Michael Dowling
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    Nov 15th 2022, 10:17 AM

    @Shaun Gallagher: I want a refund of this failed policy.

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    Mute Edward Reid
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    Nov 15th 2022, 10:21 AM

    House retrofitting is not going to work, because the grants are still making it out of reach for most to upgrade and then even if they increased the grants or gave tax breaks, we don’t have the workforce to make the difference in the time needed for this. Government need to put viable alternatives in place for all not just the top 5%!

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    Mute Derek Lyster
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    Nov 15th 2022, 11:17 AM

    @Edward Reid: house retro fitting should be free to those who need it. There should also be courses up and running training people on how to retrofit houses. Of course this should have happened years ago but the minister of soundbites and no substance has been asleep at tge wheel.

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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Nov 15th 2022, 10:28 AM

    Bring back the Turf.

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    Mute SPQH
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    Nov 15th 2022, 9:22 AM

    This reporting seems off, I just looked up the index and Denmark is the highest EU country at 4th, Sweden is at 5th.

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Nov 15th 2022, 9:26 AM

    @SPQH: They are over doing the reporting. It’s going to get to the stage where people won’t listen anymore and just say screw it. The reports are relentless at this stage.

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    Mute Pat Man
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    Nov 15th 2022, 11:10 AM

    @David Corrigan: The essence of brainwashing, keep repeating the message over and over .Very little balance, resulting in a small number of indoctrinated fanatical supporters and a disillusioned majority.

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    Mute SPQH
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    Nov 15th 2022, 9:25 AM

    Interestingly there is no 1st 2nd or 3rd place as no country has scored high enough it seems! So Denmark sits at highest.

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    Mute Hans Vos
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    Nov 15th 2022, 9:59 AM

    Reading this: it’s about time that we’re opting in.

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    Mute Metaljester
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    Nov 15th 2022, 10:03 AM

    @Hans Vos: more carbon tax is the answer……

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    Mute Hans Vos
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    Nov 15th 2022, 11:26 AM

    @Metaljester: more and better recycling like a lot of other countries is a better answer.

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    Mute Baronvoncass
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    Nov 15th 2022, 3:34 PM

    @Hans Vos: it would be good to see especially for businesses, separate to do with climate change issue though.

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    Mute Baronvoncass
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    Nov 15th 2022, 3:36 PM

    . Energy infrastructure is the way forward. Invest in fast track wind turbines. We need to maximise our resources, and we also do need security of having gas fields available for energy security aswell. Heat pumps for new and major renovations. Insulation grants for the large stock the rest have little alternative to gas and oil central heating, focus on improving insulation in those.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Nov 15th 2022, 6:58 PM

    @Baronvoncass: Would be buying into tidal systems big time also.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Nov 15th 2022, 6:57 PM

    “In transport, long-term patterns of a car-dependent system.”… er, isn’t that how we’ve been politic’d?

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