A variety of complications can occur during childbirth. While some are foreseeable, and medical providers can take steps to prevent injury, others only become apparent at the time they occur. Even so, this does not change the fact that doctors and nurses have an obligation to diagnose the complication and provide competent treatment.
One example of these complications is shoulder dystocia. If a child is especially large or a mother is particularly small, emergency intervention may be necessary. Occasionally, this may result in complications that affect the health of both the mother and child. If these problems result from poor medical care, malpractice may have occurred. An Ohio shoulder dystocia lawyer could help evaluate the decisions that occurred and pursue a suit demanding compensation from negligent doctors and nurses. A birth injury attorney is ready to support a family through a claim.
Common Causes of and Complications from Shoulder Dystocia
Dystocia describes any uncommonly difficult birth. The term shoulder dystocia relates to difficult deliveries because the infant’s shoulders are too broad for an easy delivery.
The most common source of shoulder dystocia is the child’s size. Children approaching nine pounds are far more at risk for a difficult birth. Situations where the child is in the wrong position or when the mother is small could also result in shoulder dystocia.
Shoulder dystocia could lead doctors to attempt a variety of procedures to deliver the child, including:
- Episiotomy
- Moving the mother into a different position
- Fracturing the child’s collarbone
- C-section
Each of these procedures comes with potential risks for both mother and child. A failed surgery could result in permanent damage to either patient. A shoulder dystocia attorney could provide more information about the steps doctors take in these cases and evaluate how they performed procedures to determine if they meet the appropriate medical standard.
How Treatment for Shoulder Dystocia May Lead to Medical Malpractice
Effective medical treatment involves two main categories. The first is providing a patient with a prompt and correct diagnosis. While doctors should give a mother a proper opportunity to deliver a child without assistance, it is just as essential to recognize when help is needed. Delays in making this decision could lead to further trauma for both the child and mother.
The second part of proper care is performing the correct procedures with appropriate skill. All medical procedures come with some risks. However, providers must be able to perform them according to medical standards. Failures to do so could be examples of medical malpractice.
A shoulder dystocia lawyer could help evaluate the actions of doctors to determine if malpractice has occurred. If so, a legal representative is ready to build a strong case within the one-year time limit defined in Ohio Revised Code § 2305.113. These cases could demand proper compensation for both an injured mother and child.
Let a Shoulder Dystocia Attorney Protect Your Legal Rights and Those of Your Child
A variety of complications can occur during birth. Among these is the simple fact that a child may be too large to pass through the mother’s birth canal. An infant’s shoulders being too broad is perhaps the most common source of this complication, known as shoulder dystocia.
Doctors must be able to diagnose and care for this condition correctly. This may include something as simple as turning the mother or child, or a more intense surgical intervention. In every example, this care must meet the appropriate legal standard. A shoulder dystocia lawyer could help pursue a medical malpractice case when an undue injury from medical care affects a mother or child. Speak with Tittle & Perlmuter today to learn more and consult about building your case.
