Physician's Failure To Treat Infant For Group B Strep Brings About $6,150,000 Settlement
By: J. Hernandez
Submitted: 2010-08-18 22:18:37 | Word Count: 526
If a baby with a Group B Strep infection does not receive appropriate treatment immediately the newborn might suffer long term devastating harm. A Group B Strep infection in a baby can turn into pneumonia, sepsis, or meningitis. Given a newborn’s undeveloped immune system this can bring about such permanent disabilities as cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, brain damage, cognitive and motor retardation, or even to death. Below we consider a case that came about after a baby who showed symptoms of a GBS infection was not diagnosed in a timely fashion by the doctor.
In this case a pregnant woman was screened for GBS between the thirty-fifth and thirty-seventh week of her pregnancy. The screening test showed that she carried the GBS bacteria. As such, while the woman was in labor at the hospital she was appropriately given antibiotics. Still, even with the appropriate administration of antibiotics in the course of labor, it is still possible for the newborn to develop Group B Strep. The expectant mother in this case took her newborn to a pediatrician six weeks after the baby's birth. The doctor found that the baby was febrile. The pediatrician, however, failed to examine the prenatal records even though she had access to them.
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Unaware of this history, the pediatrician ordered testing to determine the reason for the newborn’s symptoms. By not giving antibiotics to the baby without delay antibiotics the doctor allowed critical time to go by during which the newborn became septic, developed meningitis and experienced strokes. Due to this fact the baby was left with an untreatable seizure disorder as well as mental retardation.
The mother sued the doctor for failing to diagnose the group b strep infection and administer treatment in a timely fashion. As the matter progressed the pediatrician admitted that she would not have delayed giving antibiotics if she had known about the mother’s exposure to the bacteria during the pregnancy. The law firm that handled the matter reported that the physician settled the claim for $6.15 Million.
There is a key point that this lawsuit brings out. If a newborn exhibits signs that could be the result of a GBS infection a doctor ought to take immediate action so as to prevent the infection from developing into sepsis, pneumonia or meningitis. Else, the outcome could be devastating. If the physician fails to consider a GBS infection in the differential diagnosis and this leads to a delay in treatment with ensuing tragic effects the doctor might be liable under a malpractice lawsuit to recuperate for the damages endured by the baby to safeguard the child's future such as by covering future medical costs and living expenses (if the child's disability will preclude the child from ever being gainfully employed)
Author Resource:-
Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting birth injury cases. You can learn more about group b streptococcus and other birth injury cases such as erb's palsy injury claims by visiting the websites
