Responses to questions about the care of mother Paris Bean and
baby Brenden Fisher on Jan. 30, 2019, at Sarasota Memorial
Hospital. Responses provided by email by Sarasota Memorial
Hospital spokeswoman Kim Savage, based on information provided
to her by the hospital’s obstetrical and neonatal team.

What time did the mother and/or baby come in? How far along was the
labor at that point?
Mother and infant arrived by ambulance at SMH at 3:21 pm on Jan. 30. Infant’s body
was in breech position with head entrapped in birth canal and EMS performing chest
compressions on the infant.
What time was the baby delivered? And how?
Baby was delivered vaginally in SMH ER by one of our OB Hospitalists at 3:29 pm
What exact condition were the mother and baby in when taken to SHM
following the Jan. 30 transfer?
Mother’s condition was stable. The baby’s condition was critical - he was limp and
unresponsive after delivery. He weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces.
Was the baby ever technically deceased or declared deceased (please be
as specific as possible, with times, dates and other relevant details)?
No. He was in cardiac and respiratory failure at birth. His APGAR score at one
minute after birth was zero, but it improved with resuscitation efforts. It increased to
a 3 within five minutes and remained a 3 at 10 minutes. APGAR is a composite
measurement of baby’s heart rate, respirations, muscle tone, reflex response and
color.
Did the baby have normal brain function? Did that change at all during the
patient’s care at SMH?
His neurologic assessment was abnormal and consistent with severe hypoxic
encephalopathy. After resuscitation by our neonatal intensive care team, he was
transferred to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for stabilization until 6:23 pm,
when the transfer team from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital arrived.
What exactly went into reviving the baby (what steps, treatment and
resuscitation efforts were made)?
EMS performed chest compressions and administered epinephrine during
emergency transport and during SMH ER resuscitation. At the hospital, our

 emergency, trauma, OB and neonatal intensive care teams worked together to
quickly deliver the baby. In addition to chest compressions, he was given manual
(bagging) ventilation. The team was able to restore his heart beat, but he was
unable to breath on his own. He was intubated and transferred to our Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit, where he underwent additional testing and treatment. The
team initiated therapeutic hypothermia (using a cooling blanket to lower his body
temperature) to reduce the risk of brain damage.
Why (and when and how) was the baby transferred from SMH to All
Children’s? Is that routine with these types of major complications?
Sarasota Memorial has the highest level NICU in the region — a Level III NICU
equipped to care for most life-threatening situations for premature and critically ill
newborns. All Children’s Hospital’s neonatologists work in concert with our team of
neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists and pharmacists to care for babies in our
NICU. We transfer only those who require higher level follow-up care by All
Children’s team of pediatric sub-specialists.
Are there any other vital details pertinent to the labor, delivery of
resuscitation efforts that we should know for the story?
The SMH OB and Neonatal team were not aware of the patient laboring or efforts to
deliver at Rosemary Birthing Center until EMS notified our ER while en route. Our
teams were paged STAT to be available at the main ER as the patient arrived eight
minutes later.