Continuous fetal heart rate monitoring (EFM) has become the accepted standard of care in labor and delivery units, according to Contemporary OB/GYN. Monitoring a baby’s heart rate during the labor and delivery process is important to quickly identify and react to any signs of distress.
Unfortunately, sometimes mistakes are made during the monitoring process that result in severe, irreversible, and sometimes fatal consequences for the baby. In these difficult situations, parents can pursue a claim for medical malpractice to recover the funds necessary to provide the best care for their child and rebuild their family’s lives.
Gill Ports Hoste LLC is here and ready to help when errors harm a child and family. To find out more about the assistance we can offer, give our Chicago fetal monitoring mistakes lawyers a call today.
Common fetal monitoring mistakes
Some of the most common mistakes with fetal monitoring include:
- Discontinuing the monitor too early: This is especially risky if delivery seems imminent, but the birth of the baby is delayed.
- Confusing the maternal and fetal heart rates: External heart rate monitors use ultrasounds and interpret changes in the frequency of reflected images. This creates a risk that the mother’s heart rate, not the baby’s, will be recorded.
- Misinterpreting patterns in the fetal heart rate: Late decelerations, bradycardia, or decreased variability could be misidentified or go unnoticed.
- Misclassifying data: This happens when a heart rate strip is misclassified as normal or concerning instead of dangerous, resulting in delayed interventions.
- Improper use of the monitor: If the monitor isn’t placed properly or adjusted as the mother moves positions, this could result in poor quality that leads to complications being missed.
- Delayed response: In some cases, the error comes not with the monitoring itself but with failure to respond promptly with appropriate action, such as an emergency C-section or even switching maternal positions.
Gill Ports Hoste LLC can help in these and other situations when a mistake occurred. We’ll work with you to understand when the error crosses the line into medical malpractice. We’ll also help you put together a compelling claim to hold your medical caregivers and their employers liable in these difficult circumstances.
How a fetal monitoring mistakes lawyer can help
Gill Ports Hoste LLC is there for you at every step after a problem with fetal monitoring caused complications or resulted in the death of your baby. Our legal team will:
- Gather medical records and testimony from experts to identify what the monitor’s mistake was and to prove that it was a breach of the accepted standard of care.
- Build a strong case. You need to demonstrate both that your provider was responsible for the mistake and the extent of the damage. Our firm has extensive experience representing clients who experienced losses after monitoring errors and other types of birth injuries. In fact, we have recovered millions of dollars for our clients by helping them demonstrate how doctors derailed the trajectory of their lives.
- Work to resolve your claim in the most strategic way possible. This could mean negotiating a settlement out of court or representing you in court. We have 90+ years of collective experience, both negotiating with insurers and presenting arguments in the courtroom. We understand how to identify the right legal arguments and present information to make solid claims.
Contact Gill Ports Hoste LLC today
You deserve to be fully and fairly compensated if a fetal monitoring mistake hurts your child. Call Gill Ports Hoste LLC today to schedule your free consultation with a Chicago fetal monitoring mistakes lawyer to learn what our compassionate and experienced attorneys can do for you.