subject: Jury Finds Against Doctor In Malpractice Claim Alleging The Physician Overlooked Unborn Baby's Umbilical Cord Compression [print this page] Pregnancy bears with it the possibility of complications a number of of which may, if not diagnosed and treated promptly, result in significant harm to the baby and the mother. One such complication arises when there is too much pressure on the umbilical cord. This condition is named an umbilical cord compression. Two situations that may lead to this problem include the compressing of the umbilical cord if the cord slips into the birth canal as the baby is descending and if the cord ends up wrapping itself around the neck of the baby. The pressure on the cord causes a restriction of the supply of necessary blood and oxygen.
Among the symptoms that may result from a cord compression is a slowing down of the baby's heart rate. The slowing down often comes in waves or episodes referred to as decelerations. Because an unborn baby cannot survive long without suffering a severe brain injury or even dying, the necessary supply of oxygen needs to be restored right away. If the compression is not severe then repositioning the mother to decrease pressure on the cord, or giving her oxygen and fluids, might alleviate the problem. These methods do not resolve the problem every time thereby reestablishing oxygen supply to the baby. In such cases, a doctor may have to do an emergency C-section.
By not timely detecting a cord compression and taking the proper action right away a physician or nurse may lead to a delay that brings about severe harm or even the death of the baby. If this occurs that physician or nurse might be liable. In one published lawsuit, an expectant mother, at full term, showed up at the hospital for the planned delivery of her baby. The staff used Pitocin to induce labor. After the drug was given, the fetal heart rate monitor showed several umbilical cord compressions as decelerations of the unborn baby's heart rate. The staff repositioned the woman after which the baby's heart rate returned to normal.
At one point, the expectant mother had to use the bathroom at which point the obstetrics resident disconnected her from the fetal heart rate monitor. The monitor remained disconnected for a full elevent minutes. During this time, the cord was compressed and the baby's supply of oxygen was badly restricted. As a result, the baby experienced from asphyxia which left the baby with mental retardation and with cerebral palsy.
The law firm representing the family admitted evidence at trial that, with the history of decelerations, disconnecting the fetal heart rate monitor for those critical eleven minutes was below the acceptable standard of care. Basically, it came with too high a risk that there could be further umbilical cord compressions that would not be discovered and therefore would not, and indeed did not, lead to such curative actions as more position changes and, if necessary, an emergency C-section that could have prevented the child from sustaining brain damage. The law firm revealed that the jury awarded $15.8 million for the family.
Jury Finds Against Doctor In Malpractice Claim Alleging The Physician Overlooked Unborn Baby's Umbilical Cord Compression
