Failure to Detect Ectopic Pregnancy

Ms C visited her GP Surgery as she had been experiencing pain in her stomach and had noticed bleeding between periods. She also reported she had been feeling tired and dizzy. The GP arranged for blood tests and an abdominal ultrasound to be carried out.

However when the blood tests were carried out the part of the test that shows whether or not the patient is pregnant was not done. Three weeks later Mrs C attended hospital for her abdomen scan where it was discovered that she had an ectopic pregnancy (this is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb in one of the fallopian tubes and the foetus grows in the tube).

Mrs C underwent emergency surgery to have both the ectopic pregnancy and her right fallopian tube removed. An investigation is underway into whether earlier detection of the pregnancy with full blood tests three weeks earlier would have identified the pregnancy at an early enough stage to terminate it with medication, preserving Mrs C’s fallopian tube.