The coroner concluded that newborn George Dosanjh died on 3 December 2022 after an acute placental abruption caused oxygen deprivation, multi‑organ failure and brain injury. His mother went into early labour at about 34 weeks and an emergency C‑section was performed after concerns over a falling fetal heart rate. Delivery was complicated by an impacted fetal head and a reverse breech extraction; George was born 42 minutes after the decision to operate and died three days later. The coroner found staff acted in line with guidance and that prematurity was a secondary factor.
Coroner: Newborn George died after rare placental abruption during emergency C‑section
The coroner concluded that newborn George Dosanjh died on 3 December 2022 after an acute placental abruption caused oxygen deprivation, multi‑organ failure and brain injury. His mother went into early labour at about 34 weeks and an emergency C‑section was performed after concerns over a falling fetal heart rate. Delivery was complicated by an impacted fetal head and a reverse breech extraction; George was born 42 minutes after the decision to operate and died three days later. The coroner found staff acted in line with guidance and that prematurity was a secondary factor.
11:08 AM, 11/13/2025Health
Inquest finds rare placental abruption was primary cause of newborn's death
A newborn, George Dosanjh, died on 3 December 2022 at the Royal Stoke University Hospital after suffering multi‑organ failure and brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation during a difficult delivery, an inquest has heard.
George's mother, Charlotte Hird of Stafford, was admitted to the Royal Stoke with abdominal pain on 27 November 2022 and went into early labour at about 34 weeks' gestation. Clinicians decided to perform an emergency caesarean section after they became concerned about a falling fetal heart rate.
During the operation the placenta was found to have begun to separate, which developed into an acute placental abruption and cut off George's oxygen supply. Attempts to deliver him were complicated by an impacted fetal head — where the baby's head becomes lodged in the mother's pelvis — so surgeons made an additional incision and carried out a reverse breech extraction.
George was delivered 42 minutes after the decision to proceed with the caesarean. He was in a very poor condition and was transferred immediately to the neonatal intensive care unit, where he died three days later.
Coroner's findings
Coroner Fiona Gingell, after two days of evidence, concluded that the primary cause of death was the acute placental abruption. She found that hospital staff had acted in line with training and guidance and that their decisions during the emergency were reasonable. The coroner also determined that classifying the procedure as a category two rather than a more urgent category one did not change the outcome, and there was no evidence the abruption resulted from medical intervention.
Ms Gingell noted that the impacted fetal head contributed to delays in delivering and treating George and that his prematurity at around 34 weeks was a secondary contributing factor. In a narrative conclusion she said George had died "as the result of a rare but recognised complication of birth."
"It's very clear that he was very much loved by his family, and he is dearly missed by all of them," the coroner said, offering condolences to the family.
What is placental abruption?
Placental abruption occurs when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before delivery, which can reduce or cut off the baby's oxygen and blood supply. It is a recognised but uncommon obstetric emergency that can lead to severe outcomes despite prompt clinical care.
The reporting for this case was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service; the inquest record was provided by Staffordshire and Stoke Coroner's Service.