All patients put themselves into the hands of their doctors with the expectation that the doctor will treat them at the highest possible standard of care, but never is a patient more vulnerable than during the labor and delivery process, when two lives are at stake.
In many Arizona birth injury cases involving failure to perform an emergency C-section, preventable harm occurs because a doctor did not act quickly enough. When a physician fails to order a medically necessary emergency C-section, the result can be severe birth injuries, permanent brain damage, or even the death of the mother or child.
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When a Doctor Should Have Ordered an Emergency C-Section
When Is an Emergency C-Section Necessary for Safe Delivery?
According to medical experts, 32% of childbirths in the U.S. are C-section deliveries. A cesarean section or C-section is a surgical procedure to remove an infant from the mother’s uterus through an incision in the abdomen and uterus. Typically, a C-section delivery is pre-planned when this type of delivery is medically necessary or the safest option. However, 14%-17% of C-sections are unplanned, emergency procedures that occur due to fetal distress or a maternal medical emergency. The most common causes of emergency c-sections include the following:
- Maternal hemorrhaging
- Either the fetus or the mother is in medical distress, such as a drop in fetal heart rate or the mother’s blood pressure
- Umbilical prolapse, when the umbilical cord is partially delivered before the baby, causing constriction
- Placental abruption, when the placenta detaches from the uterine wall, cutting off oxygen and nutrients to the fetus
- Uterine rupture (most common when a woman has a previous C-section scar on the uterus)
- The fetus has an irregular heart rate
- Prolonged delivery, which increases the chances of a birth injury
- The baby has turned into a breech or transverse position during labor
When any of the above signs of a fetal or maternal medical emergency occur, the attending physician must perform an emergency C-section to meet the required standard of care. Emergency C-sections must occur quickly, with the objective of completing the C-section delivery within 30 minutes of the doctor ordering the procedure.
Reasons a Doctor Fails to Order a Necessary Emergency C-Section
The attending physician and labor and delivery nurses function as a team to carefully monitor the progress of a patient’s labor and fetal and maternal medical status throughout labor. Failing to order a C-section when medically necessary occurs due to errors such as:
- Inadequate maternal or fetal monitoring
- Communication failures, or neglecting to inform the doctor of a change in maternal or fetal medical status
- Failing to recognize signs of fetal distress during monitoring
- A mother’s or a octor’s reluctance to abandon a planned vaginal delivery
- Staffing shortages, resulting in delays during a medical emergency requiring a C-section delivery, for instance, failing to locate an available anesthesiologist
- Failing to address a prolonged or stalled labor in a timely manner
Failing to order a medically necessary C-section is medical malpractice when it results in an injury or fatality to the laboring mother or child.
Recovering Damages In a Medical Malpractice Case for Failure to Order an Emergency C-Section
Nothing can erase a serious or fatal injury to a mother or child due to a doctor or medical staff’s negligence; however, a successful medical malpractice claim brings a sense of justice and financial accountability. It also opens doors to the best possible medical care and addresses the financial consequences of a birth injury.
If a doctor’s failure to order an emergency C-section caused a loved one’s death, a wrongful death claim brings compensation and justice to the grieving family for their loss. An Arizona medical malpractice lawyer is a strong ally throughout the process of your claim.