A mother in Florida claims the failure of doctors to promptly treat her during labor led to serious and permanent birth injuries for her child.
According to the lawsuit, the mother visited the Indian River Medical Center in Palm Beach complaining of vaginal leakage. Hospital staff diagnosed the woman with premature rupture of membranes and transferred her to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
The mother was admitted to St. Mary’s that same day, and was assigned to the attending obstetrician. The obstetrician wrote orders to continue fetal heart monitoring and began administration of antibiotics.
On one occasion, a flush of the mother’s IV lines was performed. According to the lawsuit, a substance known as Cathflow was used by a nurse to flush the line.
Immediately after the Cathflow was introduced, the woman began to show symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction to the substance. The mother experienced shortness of breath, laryngeal spasms and went into anaphylactic shock.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, the woman was not transported to the operating room until 45 minutes after the incident began. An emergency Cesarean delivery was finally performed, and the woman’s son was born one minute later. The medical staff failed to execute cord blood testing to determine oxygen levels at the time of birth, despite orders from the obstetrician.
The newborn was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and multiple other neurological problems.
The mother is seeking damages against the doctors who attended to her in the hospital, the anesthesiologist who handled her Cesarean delivery, and St. Mary’s Medical Center. The woman and the father of the child are pursuing compensation for the pain, suffering and ongoing medical care that will be required for their child for the duration of his life.
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a birth injury resulting from damage to the cerebrum, the part of the brain that controls motor skills, sensory functions and cognitive thought. In most cases, cerebral palsy is caused right before or during delivery if the fetus does not receive an appropriate amount of oxygen.
Contact Our Experienced Birth Injury Attorneys Today
If your child has developed cerebral palsy, medical malpractice, negligence or error may be the cause. Contact our experienced birth injury attorneys today at 1-800-460-0606 today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Each birth injury lawyer at our Texas-based firm understands the sensitive nature of these cases and we can help you through this difficult time.
[Did You Know: Cerebral palsy is the most common motor disability during childhood.]
