Fetal Distress: Understanding Risks and Medical Malpractice

Various problems can develop during a pregnancy. A problem that is extremely significant and demands fast action is fetal distress. Fetal distress frequently comes about after the unborn child's oxygen supply is somehow cut off. Fetal distress is observed by monitoring the unborn baby's heart rate. Under certain circumstances, such as when the heart rate falls under a certain range, fast action for instance an emergency C-section is required. This article examines a reported medical malpractice claim where there was a lapse of approximately two hours.

A physician is informed that his patient, a pregnant woman, was taken to a nearby hospital after she had fallen. The woman had gone through an ultrasound at the hospital in an effort to look for any harm to her baby and the ultrasound was viewed as showing no injuries. The obstetrician arranged to meet the woman at a second hospital where she was being transferred to conduct additional monitoring which the first hospital was not adequately set up to conduct. Once at the second hospital a fetal heart rate monitor was attached to the woman. The labor and delivery nurse at this hospital read the results as non-reassuring and indicating that the unborn child was experiencing fetal distress. The second hospital and the nurse had been apprised that the woman's doctor had agreed to go to that hospital to look after the patient and her unborn child. While evidently having noted that the baby was in fetal distress, the nurse nonetheless concluded that she needed to wait for the physician to show up as opposed to taking any measures by herself or even notifying an on-call physician.

The nurse continued to wait for the doctor to show up for two hours. She did nothing until the monitor showed that the baby's heart rate had precipitously dropped to dangerously low levels. At that point the nurse finally notified another doctor at the hospital of the problem. This doctor conducted an emergency C-section at once but realized that the explanation for the fetal distress had been a placental abruption which had cut off the unborn child's oxygen supply.

The physician was told the woman was being transported to the second hospital and expected her obstetrician to meet her there. Yet, instead of head to the hospital as he claimed he would do, the physician went home. This would not have been a problem if the obstetrician had told the staff at the second hospital of this choice. Since fetal distress demands fast action the labor and delivery nurse at the second hospital became the second defendant in the medical malpractice claim by the parents due to her decision to wait for the patient's doctor to appear as opposed to alerting the in-house doctor until 2 hours afterwards.

At birth the child was non-responsive. Despite the fact that the medical staff tried resuscitative measures they were not able to revive the baby. Here the law firm that represented the mther and father reported that the matter settled for $750,000. This case demonstrates both (1) a doctor's duty to follow up on the care of his patient when he agrees to do so and (2) a nurse's duty to make certain that a physician is informed instantly if signs of fetal distress are detected. Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting fetal distress cases. You can learn more about fetal distress and group b strep visit the website