Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T02:58:31.229Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 28 - Birth Injury: Legal Commentary IV

from Part IV - SPECIAL ISSUES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2010

John Patrick O'Grady ,
Martin L. Gimovsky ,
Lucy A. Bayer-Zwirello  and
Kevin Giordano
John Patrick O'Grady
Affiliation:
Tufts University, Massachusetts
Get access

Summary

The patient condition that results in the most malpractice cases against physicians is pregnancy, with the largest number of claims brought on behalf of the birth-injured infant. The fetal heart monitoring strips are analyzed and reanalyzed by the minute, with the hindsight that the baby's condition at birth was compromised. Histologic examination of the placenta and cord can provide valuable insight in explaining abnormal neonatal outcomes. Placental villous abnormalities, identification of infarcts, and the presence of nucleated red blood cells in fetal vessels, among other findings, can assist in establishing the onset of an injury. Simulations have become progressively more important components in educational systems. The legality and regulation of direct-entry midwifery varies from state to state. The use of midwives in attending the labor and delivery of mothers who are at low risk for obstetric complications has been shown to be a cost-effective, safe alternative to delivery by physicians.

Keywords

birth injuryfetal heart monitoringmedicolegal educationplacental villous abnormalitiesobstetric complicationsnurse midwifery
Type
Chapter
Information
Operative Obstetrics , pp. 831 - 842
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Hospital Professional Liability Benchmarking Report MMC (Marsh & McLennan Companies) 2007.
Physician's Insurers Association of America (PIAA) Closed Claims Study, 2005.
Edwards, AD.New approaches to brain injury in preterm infants. Dev Neurosci 2002;24:352–354.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blumenthal, J.Cerebral palsy – medical legal aspects. J R Soc Med 2001;94:624–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, K, Leviton, A.How much of encephalopathy is due to birth asphyxia?Am J Dis Child 1991; 145:1325–1331.Google ScholarPubMed
Benson, RC, Schubeck, F, Deutschberger, J, et al. Fetal heart rate as a predictor of fetal distress: A report from the collaborative project. Obstet Gynecol 1968;32:259–266.Google ScholarPubMed
Vintzileos, AM, Nochimson, DJ, Guzman, ER, et al. Intrapartum electronic fetal heart rate monitoring versus intermittent auscultation: A meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol 1995; 85:149–155.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Freeman, RK.Intrapartum electronic fetal monitoring – a disappointing story. N Engl J Med. 1990; 322:624–626.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vintzileos, AM, Nochimson, DJ, Guzman, ER, et al. Intrapartum electronic fetal heart rate monitoring versus intermittent auscultation: A meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol 1995;85:149–155.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baglio, v.St. John's Queens Hospital 303 A. D.2d 341 (NY 2003).Google Scholar
Ballentyne, JW.The Diseases and Deformities of the Foetus, Vol. 1 Edinburg: Oliver and Boyd, 1892.Google Scholar
Cowan, R, Rutherford, M, Groenendaal, F, et al. Origin and timing of brain lesions in term infants with neonatal encephalopathy. Lancet 2003;361:736–742.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blumenthal, I.Cerebral palsy – medicolegal aspectsJ R Soc Med 2001;94:624–627.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Naeye, R.Can meconium in the amniotic fluid injure the fetal brain?Obstet Gynecol 1995;86:720–724.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelson, K.The neurologically impaired child and alleged malpractice at birth. Neurol Clin1999;17: 283–293.Google ScholarPubMed
Blumenthal, I.Cerebral palsy – medicolegal aspects. J R Soc Med. 2001;94:624–627.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blumenthal, I.Cerebral palsy – medicolegal aspectsJ R Soc Med 2001;94:624–627.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yoon, B, Romero, R, Park, J. Fetal exposure to an intra-amniotic inflammation and the development of cerebral palsy at the age of three years. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:675–681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Redline, RW, Heller, D, Keating, S, Kingdom, J.Placental diagnostic criteria and clinical correlation. J Placenta 2005;19(Suppl):26.Google Scholar
Petersson, K, Norbeck, O, Westgren, M, Broliden, K.Detection of parvovirus B19, cytomegalovirus and enterovirus infection in cases of intrauterine fetal death. J Perinat Med 2004;32(6):516–521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wareing v. United States 943 F Supp 1504 (1996).
Institute of Medicine. To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2000, p. 287.
White, AA, Pichert, JW, Bledsoe, SH, Irwin, C, Entman, SS. Cause and effect analysis of closed claims in obstetrics and gynecology. Obstet Gynecol. 2005 May;105(5 Pt 1):1031–1038.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
March, D.Simulator helps ID least forceful way to manage problem deliveries. The JHU Gazette, March 2005;34:27.Google Scholar
A brief history of the frontier nursing service. http:// www.frontiernursing.org.
Clark, S, Martin, JA, Taffel, SM, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Trends and characteristics of births attended by midwives. Statistical Bulletin Jan–Feb 1997;78:1.Google Scholar
Keleher, KC, Mann, LI. Nurse midwifery care in the academic health center. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nursing 1986;15(5):369–372.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
The use of nonphysician clinicians in a medical practice. MIEC Claims Alert No. 25, Aug 1999.
ACOG/ACNM. Joint statement of practice relations between obstetrician-gynecologists and certified nurse-midwives/certified midwives, Oct 2002.
American College of Nurse Midwives, Definition of midwifery practice, 2004.
ACOG ACNM Joint statement of practice relations between obstetrician-gynecologists and certified nurse-midwives/certified midwives, Oct 2002.

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×