subject: Nurse Misses Signs Of Placental Abruption And Parents File Lawsuit [print this page] It is common for expectant mothers to place themselves and their unborn child in the care of a doctor who will get them through labor and delivery. It can often take time following the patient's admission to the hospital before the newborn is delivered. In somepart of this time doctors at times depend on the nurses and staff to observe the expectant mother's progress and to keep them up to date of any problems that might arise.
The physician remains responsible for supervising the nurses and staff. Also, the nurses and staff are responsible for having the knowledge, training and experience to recognize signs of complications and for informing the physician if they do come up. Unfortunately, nurses and staff sometimes fail to satisfy these standards.
Look at the published case regarding a pregnant woman having reached full term began having contractions while at home. On the way the local hospital she started experiencing nonstop major pain. When she showed up at the hospital she informed the nurse that she was experiencing major pain and that she felt there was a problem. However the nurse either did not understand or dismissed the woman's complaints and failed to get in touch with the physician, who had not yet arrived at the hospital, to inform him.
Instead the nurse acted like this was a typical pregnancy. Precious time went by before she even started checking the fetal heart rate. As soon as she at last did determine that the unborn child was suffering from fetal distress. At this time she did notify the obstetrician, who still had not come to the hospital, by telephone. A different physician on the unit took charge and performed an emergency C-section. The extreme pain was brought on by a placental abruption. The abruption caused the unborn baby to experience a reduced supply of oxygen leading to significant brain injury. The child will be disabled for life and needs full time care. The law firm that represented the family announced that they were able to achieve a recovery in the amount of $4.5 million from the hospital for the nursing staff's failure to recognize that the pregnant woman had experienced an abruption.
In this claim the patient in fact signaled the nurse of her perception that a complication had developed in the pregnancy. At this point in the pregnancy major continual abdominal pain can be caused by a placental abruption.
It is not clear why the nurse did not put these together. Whether she disregarded the woman's complaints, did not hear them, failed to have the right knowledge, training or experience to properly understand the situation, or discounted the woman's complaints on the grounds that a placental abruption is commonly (though not every time) associated with visible vaginal bleeding, she missed signs of a serious complication. The result, unfortunately, was a serious injury to the unborn baby resulting in a lifelong disability. Because of the damage caused by the nurse's mistake the law firm that handled this matter documented that it managed to accomplish a settlement designed to be enough so that the baby has suitable care for life.
by: Joseph Hernandez
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