Evidence That After Doctor Overlooked Indications Of Umbilical Cord Compression Baby Ended Up With Cerebral Palsy Led Jury To Award Family $15.8 Million
By: J. Hernandez
Submitted: 2010-07-20 15:35:34 | Word Count: 631
A number of complications can happen in the late stages of a pregnancy that can place the health of the unborn child at risk. An umbilical cord compression is a particularly considerable risk to the unborn child. This condition occurs when undue pressure is placed on the umbilical cord. Conditions under which this occurs include when the cord slips into the birth canal and becomes compressed as the baby descends, or when the umbilical cords becomes wrapped around the baby's neck (called a nuchal cord). As the pressure on the cord increases, the oxygen necessary for the health and even the survival of the baby becomes more and more restricted.
If doctors or nurses observe a considerable slowing down of the baby's heart rate they ought to look at a cord compression as a possible reason. The slowing down generally comes in waves or episodes referred to as decelerations. If the baby's heart rate drops too low and does not quickly return to normal immediate action needs to be takes to protect the baby from suffering brain damage or death due to the lack of oxygen. Sometimes it is possible to correct the complication by just repositioning the pregnant woman to lower pressure on the cord, or by giving her oxygen and fluids In those situations where these steps do not eliminate the pressure on the cord, it may become necessary to perform an emergency C-section.
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By not timely detecting a cord compression and taking the appropriate action immediately a doctor or nurse might lead to a delay that ends in major harm or even the death of the baby. When this takes place that physician or nurse might be liable in a lawsuit for medical malpractice or wrongful death. Consider, for example, the lawsuit that resulted after a pregnant woman, at full term, went to the hospital as scheduled so that she could be induced for labor. The staff administered Pitocin to induce labor. After the drug was given, the fetal heart rate monitor revealed a series of umbilical cord compressions as decelerations of the unborn baby's heart rate. The staff repositioned the progrant woman after which the baby's heart rate went back to normal.
At one point, the woman 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 total of elevent minutes. During this period, the cord was compressed and the baby's supply of oxygen was severely restricted. Due to this fact, the baby experienced from asphyxia which left the baby with mental retardation and with cerebral palsy.
No settlement was reached in this lawsuit and so the matter went to trial. In the course of the trial evidence revealed that leaving the fetal heart rate monitor disconected for those 11 minutes given that the unborn baby had suffered a series of heart rate decelerations constituted medical malpractice. Basically, it came with too high a risk that there would be further umbilical cord compressions that would not be detected and thus would not, and indeed did not, result in such curative actions as more position changes and, if required, an emergency C-section that could have prevented the child from sustaining brain damage. The law firm published that the jury returned a verdict of $15.8 million for the family.
Author Resource:-
Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting medical malpractice cases. To learn more about birth injury cases including those involving erbs palsy matters visit the website
