The Lucy Letby murder trial heard that a baby boy was stable save for a “abnormally” high blood sugar reading less than 12 hours before his death.
Child E was allegedly murdered by a neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital by injecting a deadly dose of air into the bloodstream.
Child E, a prematurely born twin, passed away in the early morning hours of August 4, 2015, when Letby was serving as his scheduled night-shift nurse.
Tuesday, a nurse colleague who cannot be identified for legal reasons testified before the Manchester Crown Court that on August 3, Child E’s observations were “steady” throughout the day.
Mid-afternoon, she consulted a physician after observing that the infant’s blood glucose level was elevated, a finding she termed “odd.”
As the glucose level decreased, insulin was subsequently prescribed and administered, the court heard.
After the death of five-day-old Baby E, jurors at Manchester Crown Court were yesterday shown a series of text exchanges between the neonatal nurse (pictured) and colleagues.
The court was also shown footage of the neonatal ward where Lucy Letby worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Prosecutor Simon Driver said of the witness, “Taking into account all data, in addition to your monitoring of the infant, what was your overall evaluation of his condition during your shift?”
The nurse responded, “Except for the elevated blood sugars, (Child E) was doing well on that shift. They may signify a cause for concern. It might be a response to distress.
The witness agreed with the defense attorney, Ben Myers KC, that a baby as stable as Child E was susceptible to health issues.
Letby is also accused of poisoning Child E’s twin brother, Child F, with insulin in an attempt to kill him.
Lucy Letby, 32 years old and a native of Hereford, denies murdering seven infants and attempting to murder 10 more.
The neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital is suspected of murdering Child E by injecting a deadly dose of air into the infant’s system.
Yesterday, images and video from the hospital where nurse Letby worked were displayed at her trial.
The jury viewed video and photographs of the neo-natal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital as they were informed of the circumstances surrounding the death of Baby E.
It was the same ward where, according to the prosecution, Baby F was allegedly attacked and survived by Letby during a year-long string of seven murders and ten attempted murders from June 2015 to June 2016.
The video shows four incubators used to treat premature infants in the section known as Nursery One.
Letby, a 32-year-old native of Hereford, denies murdering seven infants and attempting to murder 10 more.
Wednesday resumes the trial.