Ob/Gyn Doctors Need to Respond to Labor and Delivery Dangers

Delivery room doctors must repond to shoulder dystocia with effective action.

2012-07-22

July 22, 2012 (Press-News.org) Ob/Gyn Doctors Need to Respond to Labor and Delivery Dangers

Doctors are not always responsible when something goes wrong in childbirth. Because of childbirth's inherent risks, obstetricians and gynecologists cannot guarantee a perfect delivery.

There are times, however, when birth injuries can and should be avoided by prompt, effective medical action.

Shoulder Dystocia

Consider, for example, what happens when the baby is not positioned properly to go through the birth canal. Shoulder dystocia -- where the baby's shoulders and the mother's pelvis come in contact -- creates an emergency situation. In essence, the baby is stuck behind the mother's pelvic bone. If doctors don't act quickly and effectively, the baby can be harmed in several different ways.

When a baby's shoulder is stretched too much, it can damage a key network of nerves called the brachial plexus. This network is needed to transmit messages through the spine not only to the shoulder, but also the arm and hand. When the nerves are damaged, the result can be muscle paralysis. The most common type is Erb's palsy, which affects the upper arm.

There are other potential dangers during delivery as well. If blood flow to the baby's brain is blocked, it can cause severe brain damage. This condition is known as fetal asphyxia, and it occurred in a recent case involving Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Medical Malpractice Case

In the Johns Hopkins case, the family was planning on a home birth with a midwife in attendance. But the baby became stuck, and the mother was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

The mother's understanding was that an emergency C-section would be performed. This did finally happen, but doctors apparently waited two long hours before doing so.

When the baby was born, he had very serious developmental disorders. The family sued Johns Hopkins hospital, contending the doctors waited too long to perform the C-section. A jury agreed that the doctors waited too long and awarded the injured child and his family $55 million.

Determining when medical malpractice is an appropriate claim can be difficult. Every situation is unique, and it is wise to discuss your potential claim with an experienced birth injury lawyer.

After a Birth Injury

Doctors are not demigods and should not be expected to rescue every difficult delivery. But when they fail to take reasonable steps to prevent injury, they should be held accountable. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you do that.

Article provided by Steinberg, Goodman & Kalish
Visit us at www.sgklawyers.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

What's on Your Smartphone? The Police May Have More Access Than You Know

2012-07-22

What's on Your Smartphone? The Police May Have More Access Than You Know It is hardly fair to refer to the microcomputers most of us carry every day as "phones." Calendars, texting records, voicemails, photo files and even remote access to email, social networking sites and data cloud services are humdrum features on most mobile devices in the information age. The amount of data stored directly on or accessible by the average Smartphone is nothing short of astounding. What happens when your phone falls into the hands of someone you would rather not share ...

Massachusetts Lawmakers Revise Alimony Law

2012-07-22

Massachusetts Lawmakers Revise Alimony Law The complexities that accompany the divorceprocess are due not only to potential disputes between a wife and husband who are ending their relationship, but also the laws that will impact their decisions. Like all states, Massachusetts has a diverse set of family law statutes that govern issues such as child support, custody, property division and modification of divorce decrees. Lawmakers in Massachusetts recently amended the commonwealth's alimony statutes, enacting several important changes to the duration of spousal support. ...

School Bus Accidents: Safety Tips for Preventing Injuries

2012-07-22

School bus accidents have become so common in the New York City area that they're almost a staple of local news stories. Nationwide, the statistics are just as striking. According to a Department of Transportation study revised in March of 2011 (DOT HS 396), about 19 children die each year in school bus accidents -- either as riders or nearby pedestrians. Various types of injuries also continue to multiply. In fact, during one June 2012 school bus crash in Queens, 30 people were injured. Immediate steps must be taken to greatly reduce all of these injuries ...

Trafalgar Introduces 2013 South America Brochure With 13 Itineraries & 7 Extensions

2012-07-22

Trafalgar (www.trafalgar.com), the Insider of Guided Vacations, is pleased to announce the launch of their exciting new 2013 South America brochure, complete with 13 full itineraries and 7 extensions including the Galapagos, Easter Island, Peruvian & Brazilian Amazon. Offering an insider's view of South America that travelers can only get with Trafalgar, the trips feature unique guided sightseeing with Local Experts as well as Trafalgar's exclusive Local Specialties and authentic Be My Guest dining. To kick off the new brochure, Trafalgar is offering savings up to ...

Demco Sprayers - 800-733-0275 - Stocking Dealer of Demco Sprayers & Parts

2012-07-22

Hamilton Equipment - 800-733-0275 - is proud to be a stocking dealer of all Demco Sprayers, Booms and Parts! Call us for a price quote and specifications. See our great action video of a Demco 150 or 200 Gallon Rear Mount Pro Series Sprayer with Jet Agitation. Demco 150 or 200 Gallon Rear Mount Pro Series features: 150 or 200 gallon tank with jet agitation, molded sight gauge, sump, fillwell with no-splash cover. Rear mount brackets are complete with saddles, tank bands and all necessary bolts. Rear mount brackets will fit categories "1" and "2". Unit ...

TRMM sees Fabio's remnants fading in cool Pacific waters

2012-07-21

NASA's TRMM satellite noticed that Fabio's remnants have "chilled out" in very cool waters of the Eastern Pacific, while only dropping light to moderate rains. On July 18, 2012 at 2043 UTC (1:43 p.m. PDT), the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite saw the remnants of what was once Hurricane Fabio southwest of the California coast. Upper level winds were shearing it apart and cool ocean waters with temperatures of about 19 Celsius (66.2 Fahrenheit) near the center of the low's circulation were chilling it at the surface. Temperatures of 26.6 C (80F) are ...

The search for medical technologies abroad

2012-07-21

Tampa, Fla. (July 19, 2012) – The search for medical technologies through 'medical travel' can change the lives of patients and their family members, according to medical anthropologists Cecilia Vindrola-Padros and Linda M. Whiteford, who examined the lives of Bolivian and Paraguayan families who traveled to Buenos Aries, Argentina, seeking pediatric oncology care for their children. In a study published in the current issue of Technology and Innovation – Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors®, Vindrola-Padros and Whiteford, who are both at the University of ...

Beneficial bacteria may help ward off infection

2012-07-21

While many bacteria exist as aggressive pathogens, causing diseases ranging from tuberculosis and cholera, to plague, diphtheria and toxic shock syndrome, others play a less malevolent role and some are critical for human health. In a new study, Cheryl Nickerson and her group at ASU's Biodesign Institute, in collaboration with an international team* including Tom Van de Wiele and lead author Rosemarie De Weirdt at Ghent University, Belgium, explore the role of Lactobaccilus reuteri—a natural resident of the human gut—to protect against foodborne infection. Their results ...

Meta-analysis: Interventions improve depression in cancer patients

2012-07-21

Despite guidelines recommending screening for depression in cancer patients, it's been unclear whether interventions designed to treat this depression are effective. A study by the University of Colorado Cancer Center and other institutions, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, changes that. This meta-analysis of 10 studies encompassing 1362 patients shows that especially cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacologic interventions decrease depressive symptoms in cancer patients. "In the past, we had looked at interventions as a whole – most of which ...

3-D tumor models improve drug discovery success rate

2012-07-21

Imagine millions of cancer cells organized in thousands of small divots. Hit these cells with drugs and when some cells die, you have a candidate for a cancer drug. But a review published this week in the journal Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery argues that these 2D models in fact offer very little information about a potential drug's effects in the body and may often give researchers misleading results. "Up until the 1980s animal models were the standard for cancer drug discovery. However, with the increase in the number of compounds available for testing and the advent ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

SNU researchers develop world’s first technology to observe atomic structural changes of nanoparticles in 3D

SNU researchers develop a new synthesis technology of single crystal 2D semiconductors, “Hypotaxy,” to enhance the commercialization of next-generation 2D semiconductors