Articles Posted in Labor and Delivery Negligence

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At 32 weeks gestation, Alexis Willis arrived at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago. She was complaining of a headache and decreased fetal movement. At the hospital, she was diagnosed as having preeclampsia and was connected to a fetal heart monitor. The fetal heart monitor showed variable deceleration and an absence of viability and acceleration.

After about two hours, the fetal heart monitor showed a prolonged deceleration. Willis was taken to the operating room, where the baby’s heart-rate was reported as bradycardic. Bradycardia is a condition where the heart beats more slowly than expected, under 60 beats per minute in adults. Approximately 25 minutes later, Willis’s daughter was born in a depressed condition; the baby required resuscitation. The baby’s Apgar scores were 3 at 1 minute and 5 at 5 minutes. The baby, who is now 7 years old, has been diagnosed as having hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and cerebral palsy.

Willis and the baby’s father sued the hospital and an attending physician, maintaining that they chose not to perform a timely cesarean delivery.
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During the 35th week of pregnancy with twins, Ms. Doe went to her hospital following the premature rupture of her membranes. The twins were delivered successfully by way of a cesarean section. However, several hours after delivery, Ms. Doe developed hypotension tachycardia and other symptoms that did not resolve despite efforts to intervene by the hospital staff. Two hours later, Ms. Doe’s treating obstetrician returned to the hospital and, after about two hours, ordered emergency surgery.

Within thirty minutes of the surgery, Ms. Doe became unresponsive. Despite chest compressions and intubation following her cardiac arrest, Ms. Doe unfortunately died.

Ms. Doe was survived by her children, including her newborn twins. The cause of death reportedly was exsanguination (loss of blood) from internal bleeding caused by the suture dehiscence.
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Rachel Harris was admitted to Truman Medical Center to deliver her child. She was given Pitocin over the course of approximately 6 hours. She was attended by a family practice physician, Dr. Kelly Sandri, and a resident-physician. Harris’s baby suffered hypoxic-ischemic brain damage resulting in cerebral palsy.

Harris, on her daughter’s behalf, sued the hospital and Dr. Sandri, alleging excessive administration of Pitocin, which led to the child’s brain damage and birth injury.

Harris also alleged that Dr. Sandri had not properly supervised the resident who also chose not to respond to signs of Pitocin overdose evident on the fetal monitor.
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At 31 weeks gestation, Linnoska Correa had a prenatal visit with obstetrician Dr. Luis Pardo Toro. Correa’s blood pressure during the visit was 136/86 mm Hg, which was appreciably higher than other blood pressure readings during her pregnancy.

The next day, Correa complained of severe stomach pain. She was admitted to the hospital HIMA-San Pablo in Puerto Rico where she was diagnosed as having severe preeclampsia. She was given antibiotics and magnesium sulfate.

Two days later, Correa’s daughter was delivered by cesarean section. The Apgar scores at the time of delivery were 7 at one minute and 8 at five minutes. Correa’s daughter, who is now 8, suffers from severe neurological injuries and quadriplegia, which necessitates 24-hour care daily.
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On Dec. 16, 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court answered a certified question about whether a doctor who injured a fetus can be sued for wrongful death if the patient later consented to an abortion given the condition of the unborn fetus.

Thomas and Mitchell sued two doctors, Drs. Khoury and Kagan, for the wrongful death of their unborn child. The plaintiffs alleged that the doctors committed malpractice, which injured the fetus. This action later resulted in the plaintiffs agreeing to an abortion.

The trial court submitted a certified question to the Illinois Appellate Court asking whether the Illinois Wrongful Death Act bars the plaintiffs’ lawsuit.
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Ms. Doe, 30, had a history of cesarean section, stillbirth and miscarriage. When she became pregnant again, she consulted with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. A plan was put in place for a cesarean delivery at 39 weeks gestation.

During the 37th week of Ms. Doe’s pregnancy, she went to a hospital emergency room complaining of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Although she was sent home, her pain persisted. Ms. Doe was admitted to the hospital two nights later.

The hospital’s hospitalist placed Ms. Doe on a fetal monitor, which changed from normal to indeterminate over a relatively short time span. Ms. Doe’s abdominal pain worsened, but she was discharged with instructions to follow up with her treating obstetrician in the morning.
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After delivering her second child at Roe Hospital, Ms. Doe, 32, experienced postpartum bleeding. Her pulse increased to 180 beats per minute. Her blood pressure plummeted to 74/44 mm Hg.

Ms. Doe’s treating obstetrician and the attending nurses tried unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding. They used a Bakri balloon and administered Hemabate solution. However, 90 minutes later, the doctor ordered a blood transfusion. Despite these efforts, Ms. Doe’s condition deteriorated and she later passed away.

She was survived by her husband and two minor children, including her newborn.
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Ms. Doe presented in active labor on an evening to Providence Regional Medical Center’s Pavilion for Women and Children. Ms. Doe, whose full-term baby was healthy at the time of her admission, was administered Pitocin and remained in labor throughout the night.

The next morning at around 5 a.m., significant signs of fetal distress occurred, including prolonged decelerations. Nurses informed the on-duty obstetrician, who was in surgery with another patient. The doctor ordered an operating room be opened for Ms. Doe.

Approximately three hours later, Ms. Doe’s daughter was delivered by cesarean section; the procedure was performed by a different obstetrician. The baby was diagnosed as having hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and — tragically — died just nine days later. The baby was survived by Ms. Doe, the baby’s mother, and her husband.
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Ms. Doe was admitted to a hospital for an induction of labor due to preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder that is categorized by high blood pressure and often a significant amount of protein in the urine. In severe cases, there may be a red blood cell breakdown, low blood platelet count, impaired liver function, kidney dysfunction and other severe health threats for the mother.

Ms. Doe underwent an exam that revealed elevated blood pressure and lab tests, including a complete blood count (CBC) and liver function test. The tests were performed to rule out the HELLP Syndrome, a severe form of preeclampsia.

The HELLP Syndrome is a complication of pregnancy that is characterized by hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and a low platelet count.The syndrome usually manifests itself during the last three months of pregnancy or even shortly after childbirth.
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D.W. was born at 25 weeks gestation at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The baby was diagnosed as having suffered hypoxic-ischemic brain damage resulting in spastic quadriplegia.

D.W. is now in the 6th grade. He attends special education classes and will never be able to live independently as a result of his brain injury.

A lawsuit was filed against the hospital and two doctors who provided care during D.W.’s delivery, alleging that they chose not to timely deliver D.W. by way of a cesarean section; the suit also alleged lack of informed consent and negligent post-delivery care. This included a failure to offer cranium cooling.
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