Articles Posted in Labor & Delivery Negligence

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At 37 weeks gestation, Jomayra Rodriguez, 31, was admitted to Yale New Haven Hospital. Rodriguez, whose baby had abdominal ascites in his stomach, was then induced. Abdominal ascites is a condition in which fluid collects in spaces within the abdomen. As fluid collects, it can affect a patient’s lungs, kidneys and other organs. Ascites can cause abdominal pain, swelling, nausea, vomiting and often other physical ailments.

Rodriguez’s labor continued for three days but did not progress. Although she was scheduled for a cesarean section, the induction process was first restarted. Her baby suffered shoulder dystocia and then abdominal dystocia. Unfortunately, the baby died in Rodriguez’s uterus.

Rodriguez, individually and on behalf of her son, sued Yale University alleging wrongful death and mismanagement of the delivery. The Rodriguez family asserted that the defendant hospital should have performed a timely cesarean section considering the size of the baby, which exceeded the 90th percentile, or a timely abdominal paracentesis. Abdominal paracentesis is usually a simple bedside procedure in which a needle is inserted into the peritoneal cavity to remove the ascitic fluid.
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Brittani Clavet was admitted to the University of Connecticut’s John Dempsey Hospital at 35 weeks gestation. The treating obstetrician, Dr. David Park, allegedly attempted a manual rotation of the baby’s head while observing that she was in the occiput posterior position.

An occiput posterior position is when the baby’s head is down, but it is facing the mother’s front instead of her back. It is known to be safe to deliver a baby facing this way, but it is harder for the baby to get through the mother’s pelvis.

A resident physician attempted a second manual rotation, after which the fetal monitor began to show frequent deep deceleration and tachycardia. Dr. Park allegedly ordered a stat cesarean section.
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Qiao Chen, 36, underwent an emergency cesarean section to deliver her twins. After the delivery, she experienced severe uterine bleeding and was transferred to the hospital’s post-anesthesia care unit.

Chen’s bleeding continued, her vital signs deteriorated, and she went into hemorrhagic shock. Hemorrhagic shock occurs when the body begins to shut down due to large amounts of blood loss. If the bleeding isn’t stopped immediately, the risk of death is great.

The emergency room staff administered packed red blood cells of fluid. The treating obstetrician, Dr. Thomas Tuan-Tong Lee, attempted to obtain additional blood products, but they were not readily available.
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Zulma Unzueta appealed from a judgment entered after a jury trial in favor of the defendant Asmik Akopyan, M.D., on Unzueta’s action for medical malpractice.

Dr. Akopyan served as the anesthesiologist during the birth of Unzueta’s child, after which Unzueta’s right leg was permanently paralyzed.

The jury found Dr. Akopyan breached the duty of care she owed Unzueta, but the breach did not cause the plaintiff’s paralysis.
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