Woman wins baby brain damage case

A woman who said she suffered brain damage during heart treatment as a baby at Bristol Royal Infirmary in 1985 has won a High Court compensation claim.

The amount of damages to be awarded to Marianna Telles, 22, of Newport, Gwent, will be assessed at a later date.

Her family argued her problems with communication and mobility stem from a shunt operation she had to improve her oxygen levels as a two-day-old baby.

South West Strategic Health Authority had denied liability.

But the judge said he was satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities, Miss Telles had suffered damage throughout the period between 0100 BST on 6 May 1985, before a first shunt operation and a second shunt operation, because of severe hypoxia.

He concluded that the damage would not have been suffered equally over the whole period in question, but did not believe it possible to apportion the damage mathematically, so ruled Miss Telles was entitled to recover her damages in full.

In a statement, South West Strategic Health Authority said: "The NHS Litigation Authority is considering the judgement today with a view to possibly lodging an appeal."