No ultrasound rules in place, admits HSE
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THE HSE last night admitted there are no national guidelines in place for dealing with cases where scans pick up no heartbeat from a baby in the womb.
In a statement issued yesterday evening, it said a new clinical programme "will be seeking to introduce standardised national guidelines".
It also said there was a "level of uncertainty" in ultrasound scanning, "especially in the early stages of pregnancy".
"It is rare, but situations occur when a scan will suggest the pregnancy is lost but subsequent scans may show a heartbeat," the statement said. "Therefore repeat scanning is undertaken when appropriate."
It said it recently appointed Michael Turner as the national clinical lead in obstetrics and gynaecology.
A new clinical guideline "will be seeking to introduce national guidelines and care pathways across the country's 19 maternity units and early pregnancy assessment units".
But the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (IOG) said a second scan should be carried out within a week if the diagnosis was unclear.
The Irish arm of the Royal College of Physicians follows guidelines laid down by the IOG in London but is working on Ireland-specific guidelines.
The IOG also says that early pregnancy units should have access to "transvaginal ultrasound with staff appropriately trained in its use". But it admitted adherence to the guidelines depended on how well equipped individual hospitals were.
- Fiach Kelly
Irish Independent
