Syracuse Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
Group B strep (GBS) is a bacteria that can be found in a woman’s vagina or rectum. It is found in as many as 40% of health women.
“Pregnant women who test positive for GBS are said to be ‘colonized,'” said New York birth injury lawyer Michael A. Bottar, Esq. “Colonized mothers can pass GBS to their babies during labor and delivery which can cause meningitis, sepsis or pneumonia in newborns. GBS can also cause maternal infection and death.”
Because of the risk of transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all pregnant women be tested between the 35th and 37th week of pregnancy. Testing sooner or later is not effective.
A new test gives obstetricians and labor and delivery nurses more rapid results and should decrease the need for doctors to assume that a pregnant mother is colonized an administer antibiotics until they know otherwise. The new test promises results in as few as 4 hours. The old way took 48-72 hours. The failure to timely test for and/or treat GBS is medical malpractice.
If you or your newborn have been diagnosed with Group B strep and you would like to speak to an experienced New York medical malpractice attorney about whether your infection and any complications were preventable, contact the Bottar Law, PLLC legal team today at (833) 268-8277 or by e-mail at info@bottarleone.com.