Connecticut Doctor Killed Newborn By Using Vacuum Pump 15 Times to Extract Him from Pregnant Mother Who Pleaded for C-Section, Wrongful Death Lawsuit Says

When Danielle Mackenzie, 31, arrived at a hospital to give birth to her baby this past February, she was in great health and had a textbook “normal” pregnancy, a new lawsuit claims. Now she and her partner, Fabrice Diaz, are grieving the loss of their boy, Alexander, after they say Dr. Jay Matut recklessly applied a vacuum pump 15 times to the baby’s head, going against guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and the mother’s desperate pleas for a C-section.

The Daily Mail reports that a complaint filed in the Superior Court of Shelton County, Connecticut, on July 1 describes how the baby had “no cry, poor color, poor Apgars scores, was limp… and had swelling of his head consistent with subgaleal hemorrhage” when he was finally delivered via an episiotomy at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut. He was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit at nearby Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was intubated and in critical condition before he died an hour later.

Mackenzie was 40 weeks and three days pregnant when she arrived at the hospital on Feb. 17, and within about 20 hours, she was fully dilated. After she pushed for 90 minutes, Dr. Makut allegedly recommended a vacuum extraction to hurry the delivery along, according to the complaint.

The NIH maintains detailed guidelines around vacuum-assisted deliveries, saying “no more than three sets of pulls and a maximum of two to three cup detachments or pop-offs. The total vacuum application time should be limited to 20 to 30 minutes.”

The complaint claims that Mackenzie and her baby underwent the vacuum suck an astonishing twelve times with two pop-offs during the course of thirty minutes. When all the attempts were unsuccessful, Mackenzie said she was told to push again for about half an hour, after which Dr. Matuk allegedly applied and released the vacuum to the infant’s head three more times for a total of 15 tries.

According to the NIH guidelines, “sequential application of the vacuum and the forceps or vice versa is discouraged due to a higher risk of fetal and maternal injury,” adding that a c-section should be the “backup plan in case of failure.”

The U.S. has the highest rate of maternal deaths of any high-income nation, and the racial disparities in maternal mortality statistics are shocking: a Black mother, regardless of education or income, is three times more likely to die than a white one, many from preventable causes, according to the CDC. The data on infant deaths in the U.S. is just as alarming: Black women are twice as likely to have an infant die by their first birthday than white women.

Disrespectful care, institutional racism, and not being listened to — as was the case with Mackenzie’s C-section request — are all things that contribute to the high infant mortality rate that Black mothers experience.

In addition to Dr. Mutat, the complaint names Greenwich Hospital, Yale New Haven Health Services and Summit Health.

While the latter has not responded to a request for a statement from local news outlet Greenwich Time, Yale New Haven Health and Greenwich Hospital spokesperson Dana Marnane told Daily Mail , “Greenwich Hospital is aware of this lawsuit and is committed to providing the safest and highest quality of care possible. While we are unable to comment on pending litigation, we have offered our deepest condolences to the family.”

In addition to multiple accusations of carelessness and negligence, the lawsuit acknowledged the long-term impacts on Mackenzie, who “suffered and continues to suffer extreme psychological and emotional distress and impaired her ability to carry on and enjoy life’s activities.”

According to the suit, the grieving couple is seeking money to cover lost wages, hospital bills, and burial expenses in addition to punitive damages and “such other relief as the court deems just and proper.”

Connecticut Doctor Killed Newborn By Using Vacuum Pump 15 Times to Extract Him from Pregnant Mother Who Pleaded for C-Section, Wrongful Death Lawsuit Says