Medical malpractice in birth-related injuries is described as an injury caused by negligence to a mother, child, or both during the birth process. It may cause injury to both mother and child, thereby reducing their quality of life. This is why it should not be taken with levity. The action should be started and sustained in court until due compensation is received.
Injuries to the mother or newborn, wrongful birth, and wrongful pregnancy are the three main forms of birth-related medical malpractice issues. Medical animation can be useful in a birth-related medical malpractice case trial.
What Are The Types Of Birth-Related Injuries A Mother Can Suffer?
A woman may suffer birth-related injuries if the medical professional in charge is negligent in treatment. Some of the causes of these injuries may include delayed diagnosis of conditions in the mother or failure to order a timely cesarean section.
These injuries can be proved via medical animation should they be brought to court as a cause of action.
These are the types of injuries a mother can suffer:
- Perineal tears during delivery
Perineal tears are an unavoidable component of the normal childbirth process. Some of these tears, however, can be caused by careless use of equipment during labor.
Perineal tears should be addressed as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering and potential complications such as infections.
Vaginal tears are generally classified as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Degree tears, increasing injury severity as the degree increases.
First-degree tears, typically only skin deep, have the highest chance of healing quickly. Second-degree tears are intermediate, requiring stitches and several weeks to heal.
The anal sphincter and muscles of the anus are damaged in third- and fourth-degree tears, the most severe kind of vaginal tears.
- Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)
After giving birth, blood loss is common. Normally, a woman would continue to bleed for two to six weeks after giving birth.
Vaginal bleeding becomes a reason to be concerned when a woman experiences anomalously heavy bleeding over an extended duration, which may result in life-threatening conditions.
PPH comes in two forms: primary, or immediate, and secondary, or delayed. The more severe of the two involves heavy bleeding for weeks after the baby is born; the former involves bleeding within 24 hours of childbirth.
As a trained professional, your midwife or doctor owes you a duty of care to recognize instances in which you might be at particularly high risk of developing a PPH and take the necessary precautions to lessen the likelihood of bleeding or treat it as quickly as possible.
A condition of PPH due to medical negligence is seen in the case of Millschappell v. Dupret.
- Pelvic organ prolapse
Prolapsed pelvic organs, like a prolapsed uterus, can be caused by pregnancy and vaginal delivery.
When the pelvic floor muscles are weak from pregnancy, childbirth, or both, the uterus can prolapse and fall into the vagina. Other pelvic organs, such as the bladder, can also experience prolapse.
There are a total of four severity levels, ranging from 0 to 4. Stage 4 prolapse means that the organ has completely exited the body.
Both the mother and the baby may experience conditions that could be life-threatening if they are not promptly diagnosed and treated.
What Are The Types Of Birth-Related Injuries A Baby Can Suffer?
A baby is at a high risk of injury when medical malpractice occurs during childbirth. Medical animation may depict the malpractice and the resulting harm to the child when the case goes to court.
Here are the types of injuries a baby can suffer from birth-related medical malpractice:
- Brachial plexus injury
Shoulder dystocia, a difficult delivery condition in which the baby’s shoulders become trapped on the mother’s pubic bone, can damage the brachial plexus. The nerves that control the muscles in the fingers, hand, arm, and shoulder are affected by this condition. Thus, if the doctor is not careful in maneuvering the baby through the birth canal, serious brachial plexus injuries causing paralysis of the fingers, hand, or arm can occur.
- Cerebral Palsy
In the case of Tanner v. Westbrook, a child developed cerebral palsy due to lack of proper monitoring of her breathing by the medical practitioner in charge.
Now, what is cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition caused by impairment to the part of the brain that regulates voluntary movement and coordination.
One of the most severe birth traumas is cerebral palsy, which can leave a kid unable to walk, with poor muscular control, and with other developmental problems like mental retardation and seizures.
The baby may be born with cerebral palsy if the doctor negligently causes a traumatic brain injury, neglects to treat a dangerous infection, fails to recognize that the baby isn’t getting enough oxygen to the brain, and intervenes, including performing an emergency C-section.
- Brain injury
During a difficult delivery, a doctor may inadvertently use the vacuum or forceps, resulting in a physical injury to the baby’s brain or a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain.
A doctor may have committed malpractice if a difficult delivery necessitated a C-section and failed to plan for the procedure or perform it promptly and adequately.
Conclusion
Medical animation is a reliable tool in determining the guilty party in a birth-related medical malpractice case. With careful planning and execution, an attorney can make use of this form of legal visual strategy to get their client all due compensation needed to treat or live with the condition.
