Malpractice Lawsuit Involving Failure By Nurse To Recognize Placental Abruption Settles For $1,100,000
By: J. Hernandez
Submitted: 2010-07-28 21:17:34 | Word Count: 646
Some problems that may occur in a pregnancy pose considerable risk of harm to the unborn infant. A placental abruption takes place if the placenta detaches prematurely from the pregnant woman's uterus. It is frequently associated with particular symptoms - the most telling of which are persistent vaginal bleeding, serious abdominal or back pain, and continuous contractions. When a pregnant woman suffers a placental abruption late in the pregnancy fast action, such as an emergency C-section, may need to be taken to protect the health of her unborn child.
An pregnant woman came at the hospital in beginning stages of labor. She, just 19 years old, was admitted to the hospital complaining of continual abdominal pain. Following an examination, the obstetrical nurse noted that the mother had constant uterine contractions and a hard abdomen.
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Not long after the young pregnant woman commenced having severe vaginal bleeding that. needed continuous changing of towels to soak up the blood. The nurse showed the woman where the linen closet was located and instructed her that she needed to get towels from the closet and use the towels to soak up the blood on her own, but the nurse failed to notify a doctor of the development.
Some four to five hours after her admission to the hospital, the woman began having extreme pain. Now there were two symptoms that are highly suggestive of a placental abruption.When the baby's fetal heart rate went flat a mere five minutes later, the nurse did not attempt to wake the baby in order to rule out hypoxia and again did not contact a doctor. The nurse chalked the situation up to a response to the mother being administered the pain medication. The nurse thus not only failed to notify a physician, the nurse did not make any attempt to wake the baby in order to make sure hypoxia was not involved. The nurse finally contacted a doctor some fifty minutes after the baby's heart rate went flat.
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After arriving the physician found the existence of meconium and also found that the heart rate monitor revealed progressive deep decelerations. The attending obstetrician then also showed up and chose to perform an emergency C-section. During the C-section procedure the physician found that the expectant mother had suffered a placental abruption. The baby showed signs of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy - (damage caused to the central nervous system due to a lack of oxygen) which testing later confirmed. The child was later diagnosed with developmental and mental retardation.
In the ensuing lawsuit, the plaintiffs took the position that the failure on the part of the obstetrics nurse to recognize that the sings were the result of a placental abruption, her failure to attempt to rule out a lack of oxygen to the baby, and her postponement in notifying a physician of the complication, led to preventable severe harm to the baby. 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 parents and the child reported that they obtained a settlement of $1.1 Million, of which $60,000 was for the mother and father, and the remainder was for the child. A portion of the settlement was structured so that the child would have an steady income stream into the future.
Author Resource:-
Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting medical malpractice and birth injury cases. For additional information about placental abruption and other birth injury matters including erb's palsy and group b strep matters visit the websites
