Shada Tucker was admitted to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital (Cook County Hospital) to deliver her child. Labor was induced and continued for 16 hours before Tucker underwent an emergency cesarean section. Her newborn son was later diagnosed with having hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and a seizure disorder. Baby Tucker is…
At 32 weeks gestation, Alexis Willis arrived at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago. She was complaining of a headache and decreased fetal movement. At the hospital, she was diagnosed as having preeclampsia and was connected to a fetal heart monitor. The fetal heart monitor showed variable deceleration and an absence…
Rachel Harris was admitted to Truman Medical Center to deliver her child. She was given Pitocin over the course of approximately 6 hours. She was attended by a family practice physician, Dr. Kelly Sandri, and a resident-physician. Harris’s baby suffered hypoxic-ischemic brain damage resulting in cerebral palsy. Harris, on her…
Erin Gresser suffered from Type 1 diabetes. She was admitted to North Colorado Medical Center after receiving a diagnosis of preeclampsia. Gresser was treated for group B strep infection during her labor and prolonged late decelerations occurred. Gresser’s daughter, Carina, had Apgar scores of 8 and 9 at 1 and…
Julien Florez was born on March 22, 2009. His mother, Aimee Florez, was admitted to Evanston Hospital just after noon that day, five days after her due date. All tests and ultrasounds registered normal. After a procedure to break her water, Julien experienced a prolonged deceleration in fetal heart rate…
The Illinois Appellate Court has ruled a woman may be able to hold the hospital liable for injuries her child sustained during labor and delivery. The Illinois Appellate Court for the 5th District reversed a trial judge’s decision that the patient should have known the doctor who delivered her twins…
The use of fetoscopy was first developed in the 1990s. The process involves ultrasound-guided placement of a stethoscope – a small, fiber optic instrument – in the uterus to see the fetus and the placenta. Fetoscopy as a surgical procedure can treat various fetal conditions including congenital diaphragmatic hernia and…
Two weeks after Baby Doe’s premature birth, she developed signs of jaundice. Seven hours later, a check of her bilirubin revealed a severely elevated level of 29. The attending doctor ordered retesting of the bilirubin level but did not order any treatment. Hours later, when a second bilirubin test showed…
Illinois is not one of the many states that have enacted non-economic damage caps on medical malpractice lawsuits. However, Illinois lawmakers have three times voted to enact such laws; each was found unconstitutional for a variety of reasons. According to a paper completed by Rutgers Law School Professor Sabrina Safrin,…
During the delivery of the newborn in this case, the fetal monitor of the fetus indicated non-reassuring signs over the course of several hours, including heart rate abnormalities. In this summary of the case, the baby is Baby Doe. This was a confidential settlement in which the parties were identified…