Failure To Timely And Properly Treat
Preterm Premature Rupture Of Membranes, Prolapsed Chord, Chorioamnionitis, And Brain Injury – Lawsuit Against Anne Arundel Medical Center | March 29, 2019 – Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, Maryland
On March 29, 2019, WVFK&N attorneys Keith Forman and Jermaine Haughton filed a medical malpractice claim on behalf of a minor who suffered a brain injury.
The complaint states that on June 12, 2014, the child’s mother presented to Labor and Delivery at Anne Arundel Medical Center (“AAMC”), when she was 26 weeks and 6 days pregnant.
Her chief complaint was rupture of membranes, and that she had “felt a gush of fluid” that same day. The mother was connected to electronic fetal monitoring which documented that the baseline fetal heart rate was 170 beats per minute, which is consistent with fetal tachycardia. She also complained of pain of 1 out of 10 in her lower abdomen, which radiated to her vagina. She described the pressure as “constant.” Tests indicated a high likelihood that the mother had indeed ruptured her membranes. The healthcare providers erroneously concluded that the mother was “not ruptured” and discharged her home. The following morning, the mother presented to the Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine where an ultrasound was performed, which unsurprisingly confirmed oligohydramnios, or low amniotic fluid. Shortly after undergoing the ultrasound, the mother was admitted to Labor and Delivery at AAMC. She was promptly connected to electronic fetal monitoring, which showed a normal fetal heart rate. The child was intermittently monitored throughout the day and evening of June 13, 2014. On June 14, 2014, a nurse noticed a membranous object coming from the vagina. A vaginal examination was performed and a prolapsed cord was ultimately diagnosed. The mother was emergently taken to the operating room for a stat cesarean section. The child was born severely depressed and with infection. In the immediate newborn period, the child suffered respiratory distress syndrome, apnea, bradycardia, anemia of prematurity, retinopathy of prematurity, tachypnea, sepsis, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoglycemia, among other complications. Today, the child suffers from spastic quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, global developmental delay, and epilepsy.
The lawsuit alleges the defendants failed to properly and timely respond to the preterm premature rupture of membranes. The complaint also alleges that the defendants failed to appropriately evaluate the child and the child’s mother based on the preterm premature rupture of membranes. The child is developmentally delayed and suffers from other serious injuries 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 brain injury.
The action is pending in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
