A 'Medical Misadventure' in Ireland: Deaths of Savita & Prasa Halappanavar, University Hospital, Galway, Ireland, 21-28 October, 2012

Abstract

Savita Halappanavar was a 31 year old woman who was 17 weeks pregnant when she presented at the University Hospital, Galway, on 21 October, 2013, with a miscarriage. She spontaneously delivered a stillborn daughter, Prasa, on the afternoon of 24 October, and died from sepsis early on 28 October.The circumstances of her death generated a hurricane of controversy in Ireland and around the world about Irish abortion law. A coroner's inquest held in Galway in April, 2013 resulted in the classification of Savita's death as a medical misadventure.What follows is a chronological account of Savita's care and treatment from 21 to 28 October, drawn from newspaper reports of the evidence taken at the inquest. The accuracy of this narrative depends upon the accuracy of the cited reports. Readers concerned about particular aspects of the case should supplement and check this account against other sources, and those requiringespecially detailed information should consult primary sources for the evidence taken during the inquest.