5-year ban handed to B.C. midwife over 'inadequate' care of pregnant patient whose newborn later died

A B.C. midwife has been banned from practicing for at least five years as a result of care she provided last summer to a pregnant patient whose infant later died.

Karin Gerlach of Prince George was working at a hospital in Dawson Creek in August 2022 when a patient reported a lack of fetal movement and other abnormalities, according to the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives.

A notice of the college’s consent agreement with Gerlach was posted online Tuesday, and described the care she provided to her pregnant patient as “inadequate.”

The first practice issue addressed in the notice involved Gerlach’s failure to consult with a physician in a timely matter when “confronted with a concerning clinical picture.”

According to the BCCNM, the situation involved “atypical and/or abnormal fetal heart tracing, lack of fetal movement, lack of fetal response to scalp stimulation and decreased amniotic fluid.”

Gerlach performed a bedside ultrasound, which led to the discovery of decreased volume of amniotic fluid, but is “outside the scope” of a midwife’s practice, the college says.

The regulatory body also took issue with the fact that Gerlach did not provide clear or adequate information to the parents of the infant, even after she “artificially ruptured the pregnant person’s membranes and observed meconium in the amniotic fluid.”

Newborns typically pass their first feces, meconium, in the first one to two days after birth, according to Health Canada.

There are a number of different stressors that may cause a fetus to pass meconium while still in the womb, which can cause severe and sometime fatal aspiration.

When the infant in this case was born, the college says Gerlach’s communication failures continued.

“Specifically, she did not clearly or adequately provide information about the infant’s condition prior to a transfer to a higher level of care where the infant later passed away,” reads the agreement summary.

Gerlach’s practice issues include “inadequate” documentation throughout the course of care she provided.

She has voluntarily agreed to the cancellation of her registration and the five-year ban on reapplying.

If and when she wants to reapply in the future, the college says she’ll have to meet the requirements of “fitness, competence and good character.”