Can Medical Malpractice Lead to Birth Injuries?
Posted on Aug 15, 2018 10:25am PDT
The joy of a child's birth can quickly turn to terror if the baby suffers harm during the birthing process. It could be caused by the baby's size, a preexisting condition, dystocia (difficult delivery), a breech delivery, or more. Sometimes, birth injuries cannot be prevented...but in other cases, they are caused by the negligence or carelessness of a doctor or other medical professional. The number one cause for birth injuries, according to the Department of Health & Human Services? Miscommunication among the birthing team—nurses, obstetricians, or medical technicians.
Every hour, three babies suffer a serious injury during delivery. Statistically, 1 of those 3 babies will suffer an injury that is completely preventable. To eliminate preventable birth injuries, hospitals have joined the Premier Perinatal Safety Initiative—a program created to tackle communication breakdowns at 5 points of critical failure.
The 5 common critical failure points during the birthing process are:
- Fetal distress
- Delayed c-sections
- Improper resuscitation
- Misuse of drugs to induce labor
- Improper or excessive use of forceps or vacuums
In some cases, preventable injuries occur while the baby is still in the womb. More and more cases are coming to light regarding prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs harming pregnant women. Some manufacturers have taken necessary precautions by creating warning labels telling women not to take the drugs if they are pregnant. If a drug company failed to warn of the possible risks, they could be held liable for any injury or birth defect that was caused. A doctor could also be held liable if they prescribed a drug that was known to cause harm to a fetus.
If your child was injured by a dangerous drug, medical negligence, or the use of forceps and are unsure of whether you have a case, please talk to a personal injury attorney. You could be able to get compensation so that your child can have the best medical treatment regarding their injury.