Thane Municipal Corporation Issues Notice To Jupiter Hospital, Seeks Explanation In Death Of 35-Year-Old Pregnant Woman

Thane: In connection with the death of a 35-year-old pregnant woman following alleged medical negligence at a Thane-based maternity home run by Dr Datta Panandikar in 2022, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has also issued a notice to Jupiter Hospital, seeking an explanation regarding the alleged discrepancy in ECG readings of the victim.

About The Case

The ECG initially showed a flat line at 10.45 am on October 12, 2022. However, at 11.40 am, the heart rate was recorded at 126 beats per minute. The notice was issued on February 14, and the hospital responded a day later, attributing the fluctuation to a “technical error in the internal clock of the ECG machine”.

This was revealed through a reply to an RTI query. When the FPJ contacted the hospital, Nisha Kashid, who attended the call, claimed no one was available to address the query. The FPJ also sent an email, requesting a comment, but there was no response. As per the hospital’s reply to the TMC, filed by intensive care director Dr Ravindra Ghawat, “the patient, Varsha Patil, was received in the ICU at around 7 pm on October 11, 2022, in an unstable condition from the operation theatre”.

She required high-level support for the shock management (hypotension), but her condition continued to deteriorate despite all resuscitative measures, including mechanical ventilation, high vasopressor support, blood and blood products, and CRRT (continuous renal replacement therapy), the reply stated. As per the reply, she suffered a cardiac arrest at 10.15 am the next day.

“CPR was initiated and continued as per the ACLS (advanced cardiovascular life support) protocol. She did not respond to the best resuscitative measures and was declared clinically dead at 10.45 am. This was communicated to her relatives. There was no spontaneous return of circulation. The timing on the ECG (heart rate of 126 on 12/10/2022 at 11.45 am) is due to a technical error in the internal clock of the ECG machine.”