A Montgomery County jury has awarded $1.85 million to the parents of a baby who died three days after delivery from complications of internal bleeding caused by the method of delivery. The women arrived at Frederick Memorial Hospital for a scheduled, induced labor 41 weeks into her pregnancy. She pushed for three hours early the next morning, but the baby’s head was too large to pass through her pelvis, a condition known as cephalopelvic disproportion. The baby could have been safely delivered by c-section, but the obstetrician twice tried to forcibly pull the baby through the birth canal using a vacuum extractor. This injured the baby and caused his death.
As an experienced Baltimore, Maryland medical malpractice lawyer, I frequently handle medical malpractice cases in Baltimore, Maryland and other places involving obstetrical mistakes. To see some of the cases I have handled, click here . In fact, I handled one of the first cases in Maryland to successfully argue that it was malpractice to use a vacuum extractor on a premature infant.
In a case like this, it is important for the doctor to weigh the risks versus the benefits. The risk of a c-section is low compared to the risk of keeping a baby in the uterus while the mother is having extreme difficulty delivering vaginally.