Birth Injury Lawsuit Filed After Woman Given Oxytocin To Induce Labor
A recent birth injury lawsuit has been filed in Kansas concerning the administration of Cytotec – also known as Misoprostol – and Oxytocin to induce labor. Up until the day Christy May gave birth, her pregnancy was unremarkable. However, when she was admitted to the hospital she was given these two drugs to expedite labor. She also received an epidural to relieve pain. The next morning while still in labor, the fetal heart strip indicates severe bradycardia — relatively slow heart action — in the unborn child.
According to the birth injury lawsuit, a needed emergency cesarean section was delayed, with the baby sustaining a significantly slowed heart rate for close to 40 minutes. At the time of birth, Jaxson May was diagnosed with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), possible sepsis and respiratory distress. The lawsuit alleges that by the time of delivery, Christy May’s uterus had ruptured. A year after Jaxson's birth, he suffers from microcephaly with spastic quadriplegia — a form of cerebral palsy.
The medical malpractice lawsuit alleges that May's physicians and nurses failed to respond properly to the baby's fetal monitor strip and did not do appropriate tests to ensure his well-being. In addition, the lawsuit alleges that their actions caused the baby to suffer damage to his central nervous system.
While the exact cause of HIE is not fully understood, birth trauma, uterine rupture, labor and delivery problems and delayed C-sections may result in this condition. There are very few treatments available for this condition other than brain cooling, which is the reducing of a newborn's body temperature by a few degrees for a number of days to lessen the impact of the injury and allows the brain to begin to heal itself.
Lack of adequate medical care during and after the birth of your baby is considered medical malpractice and can result in long-term complications such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy and delays in development. If you suspect that medical malpractice was present during the birth process and this resulted in HIE, a diligent California Birth Injury Attorney should be retained immediately.
For more information or if you believe your child has suffered a birth injury contact the dedicated California birth injury lawyers for a free, confidential consultation.
