Failure to Recognize Fetal Distress - Quadriplegia/Brain Damage Confidential Settlement
Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, birth injury attorneys, negotiated a cash and annuity settlement with a present cash value in excess of five million dollars on behalf of an infant born with severe developmental delay, spastic quadriparesis, and permanent neurological injuries after Kaiser San Francisco doctors and nursing staff failed to monitor the mother and deliver the baby quickly when fetal heart monitors indicated severe distress. The 36-year-old mother's pregnancy and delivery seemed to be progressing normally when, 8 hours after being admitted to the hospital, she developed a high fever. The doctor on call administered antibiotics for suspected chorioamnionitis, (an inflammation of the amniotic membranes), and said he would check back in an hour. Nearly three hours later, the fetal heart rate monitors indicated that the baby's heart rate had dropped to 85 and 90, and remained there for about 10 minutes, prompting a frightened nurse to contact the doctor. Deceleration of the fetal heart rate is a common effect of chorioamnionitis. The infant was born a half hour later, by emergent vacuum extraction, with no heart rate, and appearing blue, floppy, and apneic. She was resuscitated through chest compressions and intubation. In the days following her birth, the infant exhibited general seizures with tremors in the lower and upper extremities. An MRI performed 8 days after her birth revealed that the infant had severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. The child will remain fully dependant for all of her care needs for her entire life. She is not expected to develop beyond the level of a one-month-old infant. Liability was based upon failure to aggressively monitor the mother and fetus post administration of antibiotics and failure to deliver the baby when infection was first suspected.
If your child has suffered a birth injury, we want to hear your story. If medical negligence or medical malpractice was involved, our lawyers want to help. Contact the attorneys at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger in San Francisco for a free consultation.
Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger
Baby Injury & Fetal Distress Lawyers
San Francisco, California
For more birth injury lawsuit case information
visit our How We Have Helped page
