Tag: Maternal Injuries During Childbirth

Should Your Doctor Have Performed a C-Section?

Modern medicine has given doctors the gift and the curse of having to decide on a method of delivery in childbirth. Today, cesarean section births are carefully orchestrated procedures where a physician delivers a baby surgically via incisions in a mother’s abdomen and uterus. But for most of human history, the decision to opt for a c-section over a vaginal birth was a necessary last-ditch effort to prevent the death of a mother in labor. Before antiseptics, antibiotics, anesthesia, and midwifery became common in American hospitals, the risks of complications from c-section surgery far outweighed the benefits in all but the most urgent cases.

Maternal Deaths Due To Sepsis

All too often, we see the life-changing consequences caused to patients as a result of delays in diagnosis. While delays in diagnosis can occur in numerous areas of medicine, a particular concern are delays in diagnosis of infection in pregnant women. Maternal deaths from pregnancy related to sepsis (blood infection) while uncommon still occur at an unacceptably high rate.

Failure to Diagnose or Treat Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a disorder that involves rapid increases in blood pressure during pregnancy and the postpartum period (i.e., the six weeks after delivery) – is a condition that still affects five percent of all pregnancies and can be potentially life threatening for both the mother and the baby. Without proper detection and treatment, preeclampsia can result in devastating consequences.

Severe Maternal Morbidity and Death

Significant maternal morbidity and death is a problem that for many women can and should be prevented. Studies show that 40-50% of all maternal deaths are preventable. Only a year or two into the course of my legal career, I met a young software engineer who immigrated to the United States. Tragically, my friend lost his wife and first child immediately following child-birth. I was humbled when asked to investigate whether the deaths could have been avoided.

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