subject: Baby Experiences Arm Injury Even Though Doctors Had Knowledge That The Newborn Was Big Before Birth [print this page] Among the more prevalent kinds of birth injuries is an Erb's palsy injury that relates to the infant's shoulder and arm. This can be a considerable injury that in the most severe circumstances might leave the baby with poor use of the arm even following surgery. In many circumstances the injury is preventable. When this occurs as a consequence of an error by a physician while in the delivery procedure the parents may go after the doctor with a medical malpractice claim for themselves and their infant.
As an example, look at a reported claim concerning a woman pregnant with her third baby. The expectant mother was either borderline for or actually had gestational diabetes, excessive weight gain in the course of the pregnancy and had previously delivered two large babies. Around 4 months into the pregnancy her physician recorded that the unborn child was bigger than expected by the gestational age. Three months later the mother was borderline on her glucose test for gestational diabetes.
An ultrasound done a brief time after that consultation placed the baby's weight within the 90th percentile. During the expectant mother's final prenatal visit the day before the doctors planned to induce her labor the physician noted the fundal height (a measurement of the uterus used to check fetal growth and development) at 43 centimeters. The expectant mother was 40 weeks pregnant.
The next day the woman reported to the hospital as scheduled. After her admission, a second physician took over her care. The hospital cchart described her past borderline glucose test and also that she was at high risk given earlier "large gestational age" babies. This physician did not, nevertheless, test her glucose level or make any effort to approximation the unborn child's weight before inducing her.
Approximately several hours following her admission for the hospital the expectant mother's membranes spontaneously ruptured. When this happened a significant quantity of meconium was witnessed. This is usually a sign that the baby is in danger and typically requires an emergency C-section. Around 40 minutes later the doctor performed a vaginal examination. The physician recorded that the expectant mother was four centimeters dilated. The physician used a fetal scalp electrode which showed early decelerations. Although it was not recorded in the case report, specific kinds of decelerations might be a sign of fetal distress. A little more than an hour later she was fully dilated. The nurse's paperwork indicated the occurrence of shoulder dystocia, the delivery of the child's head, and the use of suprapubic pressure to facilitate delivery.
The child weighed 10 pounds 10 ounces at birth. She had a head circumference in the ninetieth percentile and she had an Erb's palsy injury. As she got older her arm atrophied from her inability to use it. She has developmental delays and has cerebral palsy. The physicians did not monitor the mother for gestational diabetes but had ample knowledge that the baby was large preceding birth. Yet, they did not plan on a Caesarean and failed to try a common method prior to using traction to the baby's head. These steps may have avoided the child's injury. The parents filed a medical malpractice claim against the physicians and the law firm that represented the family documented that the case settled for $900,000.
by: Joseph Hernandez
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