Numerous women in Louisiana choose to go to medical facilities when they are in labor. They do this for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason is so that they have trained medical professionals on hand if anything goes wrong. Unfortunately, too many women end up experiencing fatal or critical birth injuries due to a hospital staff not taking appropriate actions before and after complications arise. What should hospitals be doing to prevent mothers from experiencing birth injury?
According to a recent report, roughly 50,000 of women in the United States suffer injuries during childbirth every single year and approximately 700 die. In a country with highly sophisticated medical care, this should not be happening. It is, though, because too many medical providers are skipping basic safety practices — such as weighing feminine pads in order to track a woman’s blood loss or giving blood control medicine within an hour of noting a high blood pressure reading. Who is to blame? Medical providers who skip these steps or hospitals for not having these safety practices included in their standard protocols — or both?
Hemorrhaging is one of the leading causes of maternal death. It is believed that 90 percent of deaths related to hemorrhaging during or post delivery can be prevented if hospital staff knows what to look for and are actively monitoring a mother’s blood loss. Hypertension is another leading cause of maternal death. It is believed that 60 percent of deaths related to hypertension during or post delivery can be prevented if medical providers are more aggressive at monitoring blood pressure and giving medications in a timely manner.
Any woman in Louisiana who has suffered a birth injury or, in the event of fatality, her surviving family members may be entitled to seek compensation for any losses suffered if negligence is believed to have contributed to the injury or death. Those who are not sure if they have a case can turn to an experienced attorney for a case review. If legal actions are deemed appropriate, one’s attorney will work diligently to negotiate or litigate for fair compensation.