Failure To Timely And Properly Treat Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury
Lawsuit Against Washington Adventist Hospital And Medstar Medical Group | October 26th, 2018 – Prince George’s County, Maryland
On October 26, 2018, WVFK&N attorneys Stephen Offutt and Robert Lewis filed a medical malpractice claim on behalf of a minor who suffered a hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
According to the complaint, the child’s mother presented to Washington Adventist Hospital in September of 2014 in active labor. The child’s mother was admitted to the labor and delivery department and was eventually hooked to a fetal heart rate monitor over an hour after her admission. The child’s fetal heart rate tracings showed concerning signs that were not acted upon promptly. The situation deteriorated over time and the child was eventually delivered via caesarian section delivery. Eventually, initial cord blood gases demonstrated severe metabolic acidosis, with a 6.924 pH and -18 base excess. The infant required suctioning of meconium below the cords, positive pressure ventilation, and was intubated. The child was then transferred to Children’s National Medical Center where she was admitted for therapeutic hypothermia. Today, the child suffers from cerebral palsy as a result of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.
The lawsuit alleges the defendants failed to properly and timely respond to the child’s condition and failed to timely and properly treat the child’s deteriorating clinical status. As a result, the child is developmentally delayed and suffers from cerebral palsy. As a direct and proximate result of the defendants’ negligence, the child suffered permanent neurological injuries and damages during labor and delivery and will require significant medical care and treatment due to the effects of the severe hypoxic-ischemic brain injury she sustained.
The action is pending in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland.
