Newborn Sustained Brain Damage After Placental Abruption Was Not Detected By Nurse

A number of problems that might happen in a pregnancy pose serious risk of injury to the unborn child

. A placental abruption arises if the placenta separates prematurely from the expectant mother's uterus. Common symptoms of placental abruption are continual abdominal or back pain, vaginal bleeding, and continuous contractions. Any delay in realizing the presence of an abruption and doing a C-section can lead to serious harm to, or possibly the death of, the unborn child.

As an example, look at what happened in a documented lawsuit involving a young expectant mother. She was a nineteen year old expecting the birth of her first child and was admitted to the hospital presenting with continuous abdominal pain. The expectant mother was examined by an obstetrics nurse who made an entry in the chart that the woman had a hard abdomen and presented with constant uterine contractions.

Within a brief time, the woman also began having substantial vaginal bleeding. The nurse showed the woman where the linen closet was located and told her to get towels from the closet and use the towels to soak up the blood on her own, however the nurse failed to notify a physician of the development.

Some four to five hours following her admission to the hospital, the woman started having severe pain. Now there were two symptoms that are highly suggestive of an abruption.When the baby's fetal heart rate went flat a mere five minutes later, the nurse did not try to wake the baby in order to rule out hypoxia and again did not contact a doctor. The nurse merely interpreted this development not as a ominous sign that the baby was in a highly dangerous condition but as a reaction to the pain medication administered to the young pregnant woman. The nurse failed to contact a doctor until fifty minutes after the fetal monitor went flat.

Once a doctor was notified the doctor found meconium and noted that the baby's heart rate showed progressive deep decelerations. The attending obstetrician then also arrived and chose to perform an emergency C-section. During the C-section procedure the doctor confirmed that the expectant mother had experienced a placental abruption. The physician observed signs of resulting neurological damage to the baby later confirmed by radiographic testing. Testing later established that the newborn had suffered from a lack of oxygen resulting in neurological damage. As the child developed the child was diagnosed with mental and developmental retardation.

The child's parents initiated a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of her child and herself alleging that because of the the fact that the nurse did not recognize the clear symptoms and not telling a physician that the baby's fetal heart monitor were flat until 50 minutes later, an otherwise healthy baby endured a brain damage. He has a life expectancy into the 40's. But, in an attempt to reduce the value of the case, the defense argued he would only have about 10 years. The child needs occupations therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy. The law firm that represented the family reported that they were able to reach a settlement in the amount of $1,100,000. Of that amount, $60,000 was for the parents. The remainder, part of which was paid as a cash payment and the rest as a structured settlement, was for the child.

by: Joseph Hernandez

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