Failure To Monitor Birth Injury
Here at Peter Angelos Law, we aim to provide the best possible legal representation to new and old clients alike regarding medical malpractice cases. This includes cases of birth injury and wrongful death.
One of the most distressing situations parents can face is discovering that their newborn child has suffered a birth injury. Even worse is when these injuries are the result of preventable errors during labor and delivery, including a failure to monitor the mother and baby adequately. When injuries caused by the medical provider are preventable, this is considered medical negligence.
When medical providers neglect their duty to observe and respond to signs of distress or complications closely, the consequences can be devastating. Birth injuries can lead to lifelong disabilities, dramatically affecting the child’s and family’s quality of life.
No family should have to suffer at the hands of negligent medical providers, and if you have been the victim of medical malpractice, you have the right to hold them accountable. Through a medical malpractice case, you can seek justice, recover the damages you and your child have suffered and pursue compensation for the trauma of the injuries.
Peter Angelos Law – Medical Malpractice & Birth Injury Attorneys With A Long History Of Success
Here at Peter Angelos Law, we believe no family should bear the burden of a medical provider’s negligence. We are dedicated to helping parents understand their rights, explore their legal options, and seek justice for the injuries suffered by their child.
Our experienced legal team can provide you with essential information about what a “failure to monitor birth injury” is, shedding light on what it means, the consequences, and its legal aspects. As a medical malpractice law firm, we are here to provide you with the support and representation you need during these challenging times.
Call us today at 410-216-0009
Understanding The Importance Of Adequate Fetal Monitoring And The Consequences Of Failing To Provide It
When it comes to childbirth, one of the most crucial tasks that should be carried out throughout the labor and delivery of the child is the continuous monitoring of both the mother and the newborn baby.
Performing an adequate level of fetal monitoring allows medical providers to identify and address complications, reducing birth injury risk promptly.
If your medical provider fails in their duty to provide this level of monitoring, the results can be serious birth injuries that affect the child for the rest of their lives.
Monitoring for fetal distress is key, as any signs of distress should trigger immediate action. Fetal distress is typically identified through fetal heart rate monitoring, an essential tool in assessing a baby’s well-being during labor.
Medical negligence occurs when medical providers do not recognize or fail to respond to signs of fetal distress in a timely manner, leading to potentially severe birth injuries.
Failing to monitor the mother and child adequately can result in various birth injuries, including cerebral palsy and permanent brain damage. These can be caused by oxygen deprivation, which is often a consequence of complications that go undetected due to inadequate fetal monitoring. The brain cannot repair itself the same way that much of the body does, which means that these conditions are often life-long.
For this reason, if a baby’s heart rate drops significantly and medical providers fail to intervene promptly, it can lead to severe complications such as cerebral palsy. In this situation, it could be seen that the injuries were preventable had the adequate level of monitoring been carried out. From a legal standpoint, this could be considered medical negligence, providing grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
Here at Peter Angelos Law, our experienced birth injury attorneys are skilled at investigating these complex cases. We are fully dedicated to helping families seek justice when medical negligence occurs during childbirth or pregnancy. If you suspect that a failure to monitor may have led to your child’s birth injury, contact us for support and guidance.
Long-Term Consequences Of Birth Injuries Due To Monitoring Failures
When a child suffers birth injuries as a result of inadequate monitoring during the pregnancy, labor or delivery, the long-term consequences can be devastating for both the child and the family.
One of the most common birth injury cases we deal with is when a child has suffered HIE (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy), more commonly known as oxygen deprivation. When this happens, the brain does not receive enough oxygen, which can lead to serious injuries such as brain damage, cerebral palsy, and paralysis. Birth injuries caused by oxygen deprivation can leave the child needing lifelong care and can place a strain on the family, both emotionally and financially.
Other conditions, such as an amniotic fluid infection, may have been detectable through proper monitoring and can have serious implications if left untreated. Such infections can lead to preterm birth, neonatal sepsis, or in the worst cases, stillbirth.
It isn’t just the child who may suffer as a result of the incident either. It is common for parents to suffer emotional distress from the birthing process, leaving them with mental health problems like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is not uncommon among parents who have witnessed their child’s distress or injury during birth.
The Legal Aspects Of A Failure to Monitor Birth Injury Case
In order to bring a legal case against the medical providers responsible, you first need to understand the concept of medical negligence. For a medical provider to act negligently, they must have owed you a duty of care at the time of the incident. All medical providers assume a duty of care, which is a legal obligation to provide a standard of medical care to their patients under their care.
When they fail to meet this standard, such as not properly monitoring a baby’s heart rate during labor, it could lead to serious birth injuries caused by oxygen deprivation or other complications.
In a medical malpractice lawsuit, you must prove that the medical provider who owed you and your child a duty of care breached their duty of care with their actions or the omission of an action and that this breach directly resulted in harm. In a failure to monitor case, evidence may include medical records showing neglect in monitoring or inappropriate responses to signs of fetal distress.
At Peter Angelos Law, we are here to help you navigate this complex legal process. Our experienced birth injury lawyers can guide you through each step, from gathering evidence to negotiating with insurance companies or presenting your case in court, if necessary.
The Role Of A Medical Malpractice Attorney In Birth Injury Cases
At Peter Angelos Law, a law firm that handles medical malpractice cases and birth injury cases on a regular basis, we are committed to providing expert legal representation for victims of birth injuries, including cases involving failure to monitor.
We understand the devastating impact these injuries can have on a child’s life and the emotional distress they can cause both the mother and family members.
Each birth injury lawyer on our team has a comprehensive knowledge of the laws surrounding medical malpractice cases in the state of Maryland and has access to a wide panel of some of the best medical experts in the field. This means that we can obtain expert testimonials that will back your claims and help you present the strongest possible case.
We will help investigate what happened, calculate your damages, negotiate settlements on your behalf, fight for you in court if necessary and file your paperwork correctly and on time. We know that none of this will remove the trauma of watching your child suffer, but it will give you the space and time necessary to focus on what is important, you and your family and their well-being and health.
FAQ – Birth Injury Caused By Failure To Monitor
What constitutes a failure to monitor?
A failure to monitor in a birth setting typically involves the medical providers assigned to the mother and child neglecting to keep track of the vital signs of both the mother and the unborn child during labor and delivery.
This may be through failing to observe the baby’s heart rate, failing to identify signs of fetal distress or neglecting to take timely action in response to abnormal test results or complications.
What are the common birth injuries caused by failure to monitor?
The injuries a child might suffer due to a failure to monitor may range from mild to severe. The more common injuries include cerebral palsy, brain damage, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and developmental delays. These usually occur due to oxygen deprivation, physical trauma during birth or complications from untreated fetal distress.
How do I know if I have a medical malpractice case?
Unfortunately, childbirth complications are common, and injuries can occur through no fault of your medical providers. If your medical providers have carried out an adequate level of fetal monitoring and have provided the standard of medical care that they owed you and your children, you may not have a case.
However, if your child has suffered a birth injury and suspect it was due to a failure to monitor by medical providers, you may have a medical malpractice case as the injuries caused may have been preventable had they carried out better levels of monitoring.
How can a lawyer help in a birth injury case?
By seeking legal representation, it becomes much easier to navigate the complex legal and medical laws that surround a birth injury case. Malpractice attorneys have the skill to gather and analyze medical records and can enlist expert witnesses, negotiate with insurance companies and represent your interests in court if necessary.
What type of compensation can I seek in a birth injury lawsuit?
In a birth injury lawsuit, the compensation on offer will depend upon both the economic and non-economic damages you and your child have suffered. This could include medical expenses (past, present, and future), rehabilitation costs, loss of earnings, pain and suffering, emotional distress and funeral and burial costs in severe cases.
Finding an attorney that has a track record for successful cases will ensure that they have the skills necessary to accurately calculate your damages. This makes it more likely that you will receive a settlement that accurately covers the scope of your medical expenses and compensates you for the pain, suffering and trauma you and your child have been through.
Contact Peter Angelos Law Today!
We take pride in our history of successful outcomes for families in similar situations to the one you are in now. Many victims have benefited from our legal support and advice and, with our help, have recovered the necessary compensation to cover medical bills, ongoing care costs, and other damages.
Our commitment to justice is echoed in the testimonials of our past clients, many of whom appreciate our compassionate approach and dedication to their cases.
Remember, if you suspect your child’s birth injury was caused by a failure to monitor, do not hesitate to reach out to Peter Angelos Law. We offer a free consultation to discuss your potential claim and guide you on the best course of action.
Call us today at Peter Angelos Law.