Physicians And Parents Reach A $900,000 Settlement In Case Claiming Doctor's Medical Error Resulted in Infant's Erb's Palsy Injury
By: J. Hernandez
Submitted: 2010-12-12 22:34:53 | Word Count: 637
Among the more prevalent types of birth injuries is an Erb’s palsy injury which affects the baby's shoulder and arm. This can be a major injury that in the most serious instances might leave the child with inadequate use of the arm even subsequent to surgery. In a number of circumstances the injury is preventable. In the event that this occurs as a consequence of an error by a doctor while in the delivery procedure the parents might be able to go after the doctor with a medical malpractice claim on behalf of themselves and their baby.
For instance, think about a reported lawsuit concerning a woman pregnant with her third baby. The expectant mother was either borderline for or in fact had gestational diabetes, abnormal weight gain during the pregnancy and had earlier delivered two large babies. Around four months into the pregnancy the woman's doctor documented that the baby was larger than expected by the gestational age and three months later she was borderline on her glucose test for gestational diabetes. An ultrasound shortly after that visit put the baby’s weight in the 90th percentile. During the expectant mother's final prenatal visit the day prior to the scheduled delivery the physician observed the fundal height (a measurement of the uterus employed to determine fetal growth and development) at 43 centimeters. The expectant mother was forty weeks pregnant at the time.
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The following day the pregnant woman went to the hospital as planned. There, a second doctor took over her care. The hospital record documented the expectant mother's prior borderline sugar test and also that she was at high risk given past “large gestational age” babies. This doctor failed to, nevertheless, test her sugar level or make any effort to approximation the unborn child's weight before medically inducing her.
Approximately four hours following her admission for the hospital the expectant mother's membranes spontaneously ruptured. Once this happened a substantial amount of meconium was seen. This is usually an indication that the baby is in danger and typically calls for an emergency C-section. Around 40 minutes subsequently the doctor completed a vaginal examination. The doctor noted that the expectant mother was four centimeters dilated. The physician placed a fetal scalp electrode which highlighted early decelerations. Although it was not recorded in the case report, particular kinds of decelerations may be a sign of fetal distress. Just more than one hour later the woman was fully dilated. The nurse’s paperwork mentioned the occurrence of shoulder dystocia, the delivery of the child's head, as well as the use of suprapubic pressure to facilitate delivery.
The baby weighed 10 pounds 10 ounces at birth. The child had a head circumference in the 90th percentile. She was diagnosed with Erb’s palsy. When she grew her arm atrophied due to her incapacity to use it. She has developmental delays and she has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
The physicians did not monitor the mother for gestational diabetes even though they had ample knowledge that the child was large preceding delivery. Nevertheless, they failed to plan on a Caesarean and failed to attempt a common method before employing traction to the child's head. These steps could have prevented the child's injury. The parents pursued a medical malpractice claim against the doctors. The law firm that handled the case revealed that the lawsuit settled for $900,000.
Author Resource:-
Joseph Hernandez is an attorney accepting catastrophic injury matters. For more information about
erb's palsy and other birth injury matters including group b strep matters by visiting the websites
