The medical name for a vaginal delivery following a previous C-section is VBAC. VBAC women are at risk of a ruptured uterus during labor. In these cases the unborn child's precious oxygen supply, which is normally obtained via the placenta, can be cut off. In the event that this happens for an extended span of time the unborn child will suffer brain damage and be left with significant irreversible disabilities. Look at a recently documented case about an expectant mother who was admitted to the hospital for a scheduled vaginal delivery of her child. She had a C-section in a previous pregnancy but the nurse applied a drug frequently used to induce labor. The use of this medication , however, should be carefully monitored since it can result in overstimulation of the uterus and end up a major complication especially at greater dosages. The nurse failed to tell the attending doctor that the pregnant woman's contractions became irregular Rather, even though the contractions increased to clearly unsafe levels, the nurse kept administering more of the drug. The child was denied vital oxygen for a period of approximately 18-20 minutes from what turned out to be a uterine rupture. The baby was in fetal distress while in this period - a situation that can be tracked by a machine which monitors the unborn baby's heart rate. The diagnosis: cerebral palsy. Consequently, the child will never be able to talk or to walk. He will never be able to hold anything in his hands. He will never be able to eat on his own. He will always need to be fed with a feeding tube. He will always need full-time life assistance. He does, though, recognize his family and he is aware. The law firm that represented the child and his parents was able to report that at trial the jury returned an award of $31,000,000 with included $26,000,000 to pay for the cost of the child's future medical care. As this lawsuit illustrates nurses and hospital staff have a duty to recognize if complications occur in a pregnancy. They also need to know and understand the effects and side effects of the medications they dispense, and let the physician in charge know about any symptoms that suggest there is a difficulty happening. Whether due to a lack of training, inexperience, overwork, or communication breakdowns, a failure in any (or as in this case all) of these areas can result in devastating injuries to the baby. If this occurs the family (both on their own behalf and on behalf of the baby) may be able to bring a claim for malpractice. As this lawsuit additionally reveals - such lawsuits, due to the nature and degree of the injury to the baby, can result in a considerable recovery.
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High risk pregnancies necessitate thorough monitoring for signs of developing complications. This article looks at a recently documented claim alleging that a nurse attempted to induce labor by administering a drug known to produce the same problem for which the mother was at risk. This caused serious damage to the newborn and resulted in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting fetal distress cases. For additional information about fetal distress and other birth injury visit the website
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