A Portuguese obstetrician has been suspended after a baby boy was born with his eyes, a nose and part of his skull missing after the defects were overlooked on ultrasound scans.
Baby Rodrigo was born in Setúbal, around 20 miles south of Lisbon, on October 7 to parents Marlene Simão and David Ribeiro.
But the pair were stunned to find that their newborn was severely disabled, despite obstetrician Artur Carvalho repeatedly assuring them that the boy was healthy.
Carvalho, who had more than a dozen complaints filed against him with several different authorities dating back as far as 2007, has since been suspended for six months while investigations are carried out.
Portuguese media reports that Marlene and David had three ultrasound scans at a private clinic where Carvalho worked ahead of the birth.
Each time he insisted that the baby was healthy, despite the fact that Rodrigo's defect should have been visible from 12 weeks.
The first time Marlene was alerted to a potential problem was towards the latter stages of pregnancy, when she underwent a 5-D scan in the hopes of getting a better idea of what her son would look like.
5-D scans produce a detailed digital map of the baby while still in utero, unlike ultrasounds which use radio-wave echoes to produce an outline of the fetus.
The medic performing the 5-D scan noticed the defect, but when Marlene confronted Carvalho he told her that such scans were not accurate and the baby was healthy, El Mundo reports.
Following the birth, the family complained to the Portuguese Prosecutors Office, which has now opened a case into Carvalho.
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Prosecutors have previously investigated four complaints about Carvalho, including a similar case in 2011 when he failed to spot birth defects developing in a baby girl.
The girl was born without a chin, with her legs inverted and her toes fused together and severe brain injuries.
A case against Carvalho was dismissed after investigators found the defects would be difficult to spot with conventional testing.
In addition to the criminal cases, the Portuguese Medical Order also has six active disciplinary hearings open into Carvalho, not including the current investigation.
El Pais reports the existence of another five cases which have been closed, dating back to 2007.
After Rodrigo was born, medics advised Marlene and David that the infant could not be expected to live more than a few hours.
Two weeks later the boy is still alive, able to breathe without a respirator, and is currently feeding from a bottle.
However, medics say the boy is also losing weight every day.
Mother Marlene has reportedly refused to leave his side since the birth.
Images posted to social media shows Marlene holding hands with her newborn son, along with David and their infant daughter.
A second image posted by David shows the pair holding their son shortly after birth.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
