Birth Injury Lawyer for a Delayed Emergency C-Section
Legally Reviewed and Edited by: Terry Cochran
Delivering a baby is entirely natural, but complications can arise, and obstetricians and other medical professionals in the delivery room must determine how to safely preserve the health of both the mother and the infant.
If something goes wrong, such as a child’s birth injury, the mother may use the services of a birth injury lawyer to file a malpractice or birth injury claim against the doctors and other medical staff who were present in the room.
Some of these claims can arise when doctors attempt an emergency cesarean section.
What is a C-section?
A cesarean section, more commonly known as a C-section, is a surgical procedure designed to help deliver a baby. In this procedure, the baby is removed from the mother’s body through her abdomen.
Some C-sections are planned, but others only happen when birthing complications arise, such as any health problems with the mother, the position or size of the baby, any endangerment to the health of the baby, or if labor is not progressing as expected.
This surgery, in most cases, is quite safe for both the mother and the baby, but it can mean a longer recovery time after the birth for the mother than a vaginal delivery, and it can raise the risks associated with vaginal birth in any future pregnancies. Some women who have C-sections are unable to give birth vaginally after giving birth via a C-section. For this reason, strict medical records must be kept to ensure the safety of patients. These medical records help patients receive proper treatment and prevent birth injury cases.
Emergency C-section delays
When it becomes clear that delivery will require an emergency C-section, this procedure should be administered as quickly as possible to keep the mother and the infant safe. However, sometimes, acts of negligence are committed, and a delay in the execution of the emergency C-section can lead to injuries to both the baby and the mother.
These injuries could include brain injury, Erb’s palsy, shoulder dystocia, cerebral palsy, and others. They are prime examples of birth injury lawsuits that require a birth injury attorney.
This can happen if the staff on duty in the delivery room fail to recognize fetal distress signs or abnormalities in the fetal heartbeat pattern. It can also occur if the staff realizes that a C-section needs to be performed but waits too long and insists on a doctor being present to perform the surgery.
Decision to incision
The older rule that obstetricians used to go by when defending themselves from any litigation stemming from negligence relating to delaying a C-section states that a period of fewer than 30 minutes from “decision” (the decision to perform a C-section) to “incision” (making the first cut to perform the surgery) was appropriate and not negligent.
However, now that hospitals have features such as 24-hour anesthesiology support, it is considered a violation of a hospital’s standard of care if they offer labor and delivery services and do not have the resources and staff on hand at all times to perform an emergency C-section.
Consequences of delayed emergency C-sections
If a C-section is delayed unduly, there can be several different birth injuries that can occur. These can include oxygen deprivation, a brain bleed, umbilical cord problems, placental abruption, or a traumatic or delayed delivery in general.
The pain and suffering this can cause to a newborn, the mother and their family can bring on excessive medical expenses, potentially lost wages, emotional distress, and other consequences. If a child suffers a birth injury, it is important to contact birth injury lawyer to find out how they can help you.
If you believe that you or a loved one has experienced injuries due to negligence regarding a delayed emergency C-section and could be eligible to receive compensation, call 866-MICH-LAW to schedule a free consultation today with Eileen Kroll.
Eileen is a registered nurse and trial lawyer on the medical malpractice team in our law firm. She is also a member of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). At Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. we never charge a fee unless a recovery is made.
The statute of limitations on birth injuries in Michigan is within two years of the injury or within six months of discovering the injury.
Disclaimer : The information provided is general and not for legal advice. The blogs are not intended to provide legal counsel and no attorney-client relationship is created nor intended.
