Software · Post Line
Mums welcome probe into life-threatening condition Image source, Martin Giles/BBC Image caption, Erin Cooper, 35, had to give up her job as a nurse due to the trauma of her PAS experience By Lewis Adams Mothers who suffered from a life-threatening condition during pregnancy have welcomed a national investigation into it. Erin Cooper, from Bedfordshire, is among those who developed placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), whereby the placenta grows too deeply into the wall of the womb. "It's not going to change the outcome of my or other people's stories, however it might prevent this happening to others," the 35-year-old said of the investigation.
It will focus on the antenatal diagnosis of PAS during pregnancy and the pathway for referring women to specialist care centres. The Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) will carry out the inquiries and has the power to compel individuals to answer its questions. Campaign group Action for Accreta hailed it "a landmark decision for maternal safety in the NHS".
Research by the group found 61% of women with PAS were undiagnosed prior to delivery. Image source, Martin Giles/BBC Image caption, Cooper begged an ambulance technician to save her life as she bled while pregnant "I had all the warning signs and it still wasn't investigated," said Cooper, who was failed by doctors who did not investigate her bleeding during pregnancy. "My life is split into the before and after this happened.
Before, I was a completely different person to who I am now. I'm sad for myself." Cooper's son, Milo, was born by an emergency C-section in 2024. However, she needed 13 blood transfusions after a major haemorrhage.
The HSSIB investigation, announced on Tuesday, followed evidence from more than 100 families being gathered by Action for Accreta. It found "dangerous maternity care gaps" and an annual cost of £37m in harm caused by PAS, including emergency surgery. Image source, BBC/Martin Giles Image caption, Amisha Adhia started a campaign group after suffering from PAS during her pregnancy Amisha Adhia, who founded the campaign group, said: "I was told I was 99% safe.
Five hospitals told me there was nothing to worry about. "I nearly died, and so did my daughter. "The only reason we are here is that one consultant refused to accept that accreta could be ruled out.
No woman's life should depend on meeting that one doctor." Figures garnered by the Londoner showed 64% of women with PAS required major emergency surgery and 30% underwent emergency hysterectomy. The campaign group has called for mandatory PAS awareness training for sonographers and midwives to be available immediately. There is no single national dataset tracking PAS specifically, although NHS estimates range from one instance per 300 to one per 2,000 pregnancies.
A spokesman for NHS England in the East previously said it was "likely" that PAS cases were increasing in line with a rise in C-sections . It has been contacted to comment on the HSSIB investigation. Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks?
Contact us below. Get in touch Your Voice
Source: BBC
