Mother Seeks Justice After Newborn Dies During Cesarean Surgery
A newborn died during a cesarean delivery at a Bangkok private hospital after complications with the mother's anesthesia; the family is seeking an investigation into whether the anesthesia failure caused the infant's death.
On July 17, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., a grieving family visited consumer advocate Paveena Hongskul to lodge a complaint after their daughter's death during a cesarean delivery at a private Bangkok hospital. During the surgery, the mother's anesthesia wore off, causing her to regain consciousness. The surgeon halted the procedure and administered additional sedation. After the mother regained consciousness again, the newborn girl was in critical condition and admitted to pediatric ICU for one day before being transferred to another hospital, where she died. The death certificate cited "pulmonary hypertension" as the cause of death, but the family suspects a link to the anesthesia complications.
The 26-year-old mother, identified as Ms. A, explained that she had carried the pregnancy for four months and used her gold-card insurance at the private hospital. The doctor initially scheduled a natural delivery for July 4, 2025, but labor did not begin. At the rescheduled appointment on July 9, the doctor planned a cesarean delivery. When anesthesia was administered that morning, the anesthesiologist initially attempted a spinal block but could not locate a vein due to the mother's weight of 105 kilograms, so he switched to inhalation anesthesia instead.
Midway through the surgery, the mother suddenly regained consciousness. The surgeon paused the procedure and injected additional anesthesia. She did not wake again until 3:00 p.m. When she asked to see her daughter, nurses reported the newborn had an abnormally rapid heartbeat and was in pediatric ICU. At 6:00 p.m., the baby's condition deteriorated and she was transferred to another hospital at 3:00 a.m. on July 10. The second hospital informed the family that the infant had died from oxygen deprivation and severe lung infection. When the family questioned the first hospital's staff, they were told the baby had aspirated amniotic fluid.
The family filed a police report at Phayathai Police Station requesting an autopsy and vowing not to cremate the body until the autopsy results clarified the true cause of death. They asked the Paveena Foundation to investigate and provide justice. Following receipt of the complaint, Paveena Hongskul coordinated with Dr. Nalina Tantiramay, director of the Hospital and Medical Arts Support Division under the Department of Health Service Support, Ministry of Public Health.
