Syracuse Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
Many babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy and other birth injuries due to a period of fetal distress during labor and delivery. “Every year, our legal team investigates claims arising out of a failure to respond to dangerous decelerations recorded on fetal heart monitor tracings,” said Syracuse birth injury lawyer Michael A. Bottar, Esq., of Bottar Law, PLLC, a law firm with a practice limited to medical malpractice and catastrophic injury cases throughout the State of New York.
“Historically, obstetricians and labor and delivery nurses had to review fetal heart monitor tracings in a specific location, whether it was at the bedside or on a remote computer monitor,” Bottar said. When these individuals are unavailable, timely and appropriate review of the tracings can overlooked and even minutes of delay can lead permanent disability, including cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy and global developmental delays.
Recently, a monitoring system was released that allows obstetricians to monitor the vital signs of a laboring mother and unborn baby through a smart phone application known as AirStrip OB. The system, which is being tested at Summit Medical Center in Tennessee, delivers various vital signs including fetal heart rate and maternal contractions in real-time. The application also affords doctors an opportunity to review nursing notes.
“AirStrip OB is a great development. It should cut down on the number of missed opportunities to prevent a birth injury stemming from, e.g., insufficient oxygen (hypoxia) or poor blood flow (ischemia). Soon, all busy obstetricians will need to do to avoid malpractice is look at their iPhone to see – instantly – how a labor is progressing. Or, more importantly, if it is not proceeding as planned. As the fetal brain can be permanently damaged in minutes, it is encouraging to know that help for a struggling baby may now been only a phone call away.”
The trial lawyers at Bottar Law, PLLC, have decades of experience investigating, prosecuting and trying to verdict all types of medical malpractice cases including babies injured following a complicated labor and delivery. If your child has been diagnosed with a disability, you and/or your family may be entitled to compensation for lifelong health care, medical expenses, medical bills, loss of income, and pain and suffering.
To discuss your case or concerns with an experienced Central New York medical malpractice and birth injury lawyer, contact Bottar Law, PLLC now at (315) 422-3466, (800) 336-LAWS, or by e-mail at info@bottarleone.com.