subject: Nurse Continues To Wait For Doctor To Arrive Even Though Unborn Child Suffers From Fetal Distress [print this page] As fetal distress is a serious problem in pregnancy that many times entails a loss of oxygen supply to the unborn child. Consequently, if fetal distress is spotted action should be taken right away to avoid injury to the baby. This article examines a published lawsuit where there was a lapse of about two hours.
In this claim an expectant mother who had fallen was being admitted to a hospital to check that there was no injury to her unborn baby. An ultrasound was performed and showed no injury to the baby. The expectant mother continued to be concerned that something was wrong and asked for a different test. The doctor indicated he would meet his patient at a hospital where she was going to be transferred to do additional monitoring which the first hospital was not adequately equipped to carry out.
After being transported to the second hospital, the woman was connected to a fetal heart rate monitor which was interpreted by the nurse as showing that the baby was in fetal distress. The second hospital and the nurse had been advised that the woman's physician was on his way to that hospital to handle the care of the patient and her unborn child. While evidently having noted that the baby was in fetal distress, the nurse still concluded that she ought to wait for the doctor to come rather than take any steps on her own or even informing an on-call physician.
The nurse continued to wait for the obstetrician to appear for two hours. It took the baby's heart rate reaching a critically low level before the nurse at last informed one of the hospital obstetricians. Once apprised of the situation this physician did not wait to do an emergency C-section. While doing the C-section the doctor found out that the baby went through a period without an adequate oxygen supply (which explained the fall in the heart rate) as a result of a placental abruption.
It turned out that the patient's obstetrician went home instead of going to the hospital as he had indicated he would - effectively abandoning his patient and her baby and making him a defendant in the malpractice claim. Thinking the physician was on the way the nurse at the second hospital, who may normally have instantly advised another obstetrician of the fetal distress, waited and continued to wait for 2 hours for a doctor who would never show up.
The infant was not breathing when he was born. The Apgar scores were 0 and 0. Resuscitation attempts by the physician failed. Here the law firm that represented the family reported that the matter settled for $750,000. This claim illustrates both (1) a physician's duty to follow up on the care of a patient after agreeing to do so and (2) a nurse's duty to make certain that a doctor is notified instantly if signs of fetal distress are detected.
by: Joseph Hernandez
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