Syracuse Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
A recent National Institutes of Health panel announced that VBACs are not as dangerous as once believed, and that OBGYNS should reduce the barriers to women who want to try vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC). According to Central New York uterine rupture lawyers Bottar Law, PLLC, VBACs are still dangerous.
In 1980, the NIH released a similar report, in which it encouraged doctors to permit vaginal deliveries after a prior cesarean section incision has weakened a pregnant mother’s uterus, exposing her to increased risk for rupture and hemorrhaging. VBACs rose through the 1990s from 3% to 23%, but have decreased in frequency since 1996, to 8.5% in 2006. In 1999, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) revised its guidelines to practitioners from “encouraging” VBACs to pregnant mothers, to “offering” VBACs as an “option.” Shortly thereafter, as many as 30% of hospitals prohibited VBAC deliveries.
While encouraging more VBACs, the NIH panel conceded there was “moderate evidence” of a “clear increased risk of uterine rupture in trial of labor compared to an elective repeat cesarean delivery” and noted that uterine rupture “can be catastrophic and remains the most dreaded short-term complication of a trial of labor.”
In terms of risks to an unborn baby, the NIH panel found “moderate evidence” of “increased perinatal mortality and low-grade evidence of increased fetal mortality.” It concluded that there was “insufficient data on the incidence of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in cases of VBAC versus repeat cesarean sections.” Hypoxia and ischemia can lead to cerebral palsy.
The trial lawyers at Bottar Law, PLLC, have decades of experience investigating, prosecuting and trying to verdict all types of medical malpractice and birth injury cases, including those involving uterine rupture during VBAC. If you or your baby have been injured due to medical malpractice, you, your child and your family may be entitled to compensation for lifelong health care, medical expenses, special education, 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 attorney, contact us now at (315) 422-3466, (800) 336-LAWS, or by e-mail at info@bottarleone.com.