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Settlement for a baby on account of cerebral palsy caused by a family practitioner failing to timely respond to fetal distress. The mother was laboring in a hospital, when the fetal heart monitor began to show non-reassuring fetal heart tones and fetal distress. The pregnancy had been managed by a family practitioner. The family practitioner did not expedite the delivery of the baby, in spite of the ongoing fetal distress, and he did not call in an obstetrician. Eventually, labor nurses responded by summoning an obstetrician, who delivered the baby by Cesarean section. However, the delivery was too late. The baby sustained a hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, seizures, and metabolic acidosis, which caused the baby to develop cerebral palsy. This case was reported in the ATLA Professional Negligence Law Reporter at 6 PNLR 129.

Settlement for a baby on account of cerebral palsy caused by labor and delivery nurses failing to timely notify the obstetrician of fetal distress. The mother was in labor in a hospital. The fetal heart monitor began displaying non-reassuring fetal heart tones, late decelerations, and a loss of beat to beat variability. The labor nurse did not timely notify the attending obstetrician that the fetal heart monitor was displaying non-reassuring fetal heart tones, late decelerations, and a loss of beat to beat variability. Eventually, the obstetrician was notified that the fetal heart monitor was displaying non-reassuring fetal heart tones, late decelerations, and a loss of beat to beat variability, and an emergency Cesarean section was carried out. However, the delivery was too late. The baby sustained a hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, seizures, and metabolic acidosis, which caused the baby to develop cerebral palsy.

Settlement for baby on account of cerebral palsy caused by obstetric nurses failing to notify the obstetrician of non-reassuring fetal heart patterns and for the hospital failing to have proper resuscitation equipment and personnel in attendance at the delivery. During labor, Pitocin was used to augment the labor. The nurses failed to properly administer the Pitocin and turn it down. There was uterine hyperstimulation present, tachysystole present, and eventually a pattern of non-reassuring fetal heart tones and fetal distress developed. The labor nurse failed to timely inform the obstetrician of the non-reassuring fetal heart pattern. The labor nurse failed to timely inform the newborn nursery personnel to be in attendance at the birth. There was also terminal meconium present. When the obstetrician showed up to deliver the baby, he had no idea that for the past hour and forty minutes that the baby had been in fetal distress. When the baby was delivered vaginally, the baby was very depressed, hypoxic, with a low Apgar score and acidosis. The baby was in need of immediate resuscitation at birth, but there were no trained personnel at the delivery to resuscitate the baby. The baby did not breathe for over five minutes. The baby suffered a hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, metabolic acidosis, and seizures, which caused the baby to develop cerebral palsy.

Settlement for wrongful death of a woman due to a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) negligently placing an endotracheal tube into her esophagus and not her tracheal during an elective Cesarean section. The decedent underwent a scheduled Cesarean section under general anesthesia. The general anesthesia was administered by a CRNA. The CRNA negligently placed the endotracheal tube in the patient’s esophagus, and not the trachea. The patient developed hypoxia and then a cardiac arrest. A code team was summoned, and then it was discovered that the endotracheal tube was in the esophagus. The patient died in the operating room.

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Jury verdict for wrongful death of a man caused by emergency physician negligence in failing to recognize septicemia. The patient went to the emergency room with presumed food poisoning. However, he had an infection in his bowel that was developing into sepsis. The emergency room physician negligently discharged the patient. The patient went home, his sepsis severely worsened in a day, and he died.

Settlement for baby on account of cerebral palsy caused by obstetric nurse negligently attempting to reduce a prolapsed umbilical cord. The mother was in labor in a hospital labor and delivery unit. The labor nurse inappropriately ruptured the mother’s bag of waters which cause the umbilical cord to prolapse outside the mother’s vagina. The nurse inappropriately attempted to stuff the umbilical cord back up inside the uterus. The baby’s oxygen supply was compromised and there was delay in delivering the baby. The baby was born with an Apgar score of zero, and developed seizures and cerebral palsy.

Settlement for wrongful death of man who died of a heart attack after negligently being sent home from the emergency room by an emergency medicine physician after being misdiagnosed and being told there was nothing wrong with his heart. The patient had clear signs and symptoms of cardiac ischemia and a myocardial infarction. The emergency room physician negligently diagnosed the patient as having indigestion and discharged the patient. The emergency room physician told the patient there was nothing wrong with his heart. The patient went to a chiropractor the next day, believing that his pain was due to his spine. The patient went into cardiac arrest while being worked on by the chiropractor and died.

Settlement on account of wrongful death of baby who suffered severe anoxia due to failure to timely respond to fetal distress. While the mother was in labor, fetal heart monitoring showed the fetus was having repetitive late decelerations, and losing beat to beat variability. The fetus was becoming anoxic. The labor nurse failed to inform the obstetrician. When the obstetrician learned of the situation, an emergency Cesarean section was carried out. The baby was born severely depressed, developed seizures, and a severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and passed away.

Settlement for the wrongful death of an eight year old. The child’s mother took him to the hospital emergency room. The emergency room physician decided to have the child transported by helicopter to a larger facility. The emergency room physician negligently decided to intubate the child. The emergency room physician then negligently placed the endotracheal tube into the child’s esophagus, when it should have been placed in the trachea. As a result of that negligence, the child was deprived of oxygen, which caused a hypoxic brain injury. The child died several days later.

Jury verdict for a baby who sustained mild cerebral palsy on account of the negligence of hospital nurses who negligently dismissed the mother. The mother came to the hospital complaining of labor pains. The hospital labor and delivery nurses examined the mother and told her she was not in labor and that her bag of waters were intact. When the mother got home, the baby’s feet suddenly dropped out of her vagina. The mother was brought back to the hospital for delivery. However, the baby was entrapped in the birth canal, and the umbilical cord was compressed cutting of the baby’s oxygen supply.

Settlement for the wrongful death of a man who while in a hospital, had a cardiac arrest. The nurse that was supposed to be watching over him left and went outside for to smoke a cigarette. When she returned the man was in cardiac arrest.

Settlement for wrongful death of a baby who died from severe brain damage caused by asphyxia during the birthing process due to being stuck in the head with the local anesthesia being intended for the mother. A family practitioner attempted a vaginal delivery. The family practitioner gave the mother a local anesthetic of Lidocaine in preparation for an episiotomy. However, the Lidocaine was injected into the baby’s head. The baby developed severe seizures and hypoxia. The baby developed severe cerebral palsy and passed away.

Jury verdict for the wrongful death of a baby who was born with thick meconium in his mouth and was not suctioned before his chest was delivered, causing thick meconium to be sucked back into his lungs.  The baby was delivered in the labor room attended by nurses who negligently failed to be prepared for the delivery.

Settlement for woman who sustained a spinal cord injury on account of hospital nurses negligently failing to report to her physician that she was developing neurologic symptoms, which caused a delay in diagnosing and treating a hematoma that was developing next to her spinal cord. The patient had undergone a spinal procedure and developed a hematoma around the spinal cord. As the hematoma expanded, it put pressure on her spinal cord. The nurses caring for her failed to timely notify her surgeon of the neurologic signs and symptoms that were developing. By the time the surgeon was notified the expanding hematoma had caused an injury to her spinal cord.

Settlement for a baby whose mother came to the hospital and it was decided that the baby needed to be delivered by emergency Cesarean section, but there was a delay because anesthesia personnel were not available. The baby was born with hypoxia and developed mild cerebral palsy.

Settlement for the wrongful death of a child. The child had a cerebral shunt. The child developed signs and symptoms that the cerebral shunt was malfunctioning causing the pressure in the brain to increase to dangerous levels. The child was taken to an emergency room at a major teaching hospital about 3:30 p.m. The personnel at the emergency room did not inform the child’s neurosurgeon of the situation until the following morning. By then the child had worsened significantly and died.