Parents Pursue Claim Against Doctor And Nurse Alleging Their Child Died While In Fetal Distress
As fetal distress is a dangerous problem in pregnancy that many times involves a diminished oxygen supply to the unborn baby. Thus, if fetal distress is observed measures need to be taken right away to avoid injury to the baby. Below we consider the issue of liability in a published case involving a delay of approximately two hours in reacting to signs of fetal distress. We also take into account the resulting damages and the settlement outcome.
An obstetrician is notified that his patient, a pregnant woman, had been transported to a close by hospital after she had fallen. An ultrasound was performed and indicated no injury to the baby. The woman was still anxious that something was wrong and asked for additional monitoring. The obstetrician arranged to go to see the woman at a hospital where she was being transported in order to perform other monitoring which the first hospital was not adequately equipped to carry out.
Upon her arrival at the second hospital a fetal heart rate monitor was connected to the expectant mother. The nurse at this hospital read the results as non-reassuring and indicating that the unborn child was in fetal distress. The second hospital and the nurse had been told that the woman