Uterine Rupture and Maternal Risk Factors
Ohio birth injury attorney you can trust to put your needs first
Each year, approximately 1 percent of pregnant women experience a uterine rupture, according to medical studies. While this might seem like a small number, such birth complications can cause severe injuries to the mother and her infant. That’s why it’s critical that medical professionals understand why these injuries happen and know how to effectively treat them.
Many times, a high-risk pregnancy results in a uterine rupture that could have been prevented. Unfortunately, some doctors and other healthcare professionals don’t take maternal risk factors seriously, increasing the risk of uterine rupture and serious birth injury. If this happened to you, it’s important that you know your rights and the legal options available to you.
For more than three decades, Cleveland birth injury lawyer John A. Lancione has been helping people deal with the legal issues associated with such complex legal cases in Ohio and across the country. A nationally renowned lawyer in the field of birth injury law, attorney Lancione only handles birth injury and medical negligence cases. That’s why other lawyers routinely refer legal cases to The Lancione Law Firm. They know we’re the legal team you can count on when it matters most.
What is a uterine rupture?
A uterine rupture is a serious childbirth injury that occurs while a woman is giving birth to a baby. Such injuries only occur during a vaginal birth, not a cesarean birth. When a uterine rupture occurs, the woman’s uterus is torn open, resulting in the fetus slipping into the peritoneal cavity in the woman’s abdomen.
Uterine ruptures are particularly common among women giving birth vaginally who previously gave birth via a cesarean section, or C-section. These types of births are known as a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) and doctors should warn women who previously had a cesarean section about the risks of giving birth vaginally for later pregnancies.
When a uterine rupture occurs, severe internal bleeding in the mother is common. The baby also often suffocates in the abdomen unless medical professionals take immediate action (often no more than 40 minutes) to save the fetus and the mother. Otherwise, the baby will likely die due to lack of oxygen.
Why do these injuries happen?
A woman’s uterus can tear for many different reasons while they’re delivering their child. Common causes include:
- Uterus tears at scar tissue from a previous cesarean section.
- Excessive pressure on the uterus during the baby’s delivery.
As explained earlier, a uterine rupture often involves medical negligence. This means that healthcare professionals failed to properly diagnose a serious medical condition or did not accurately assess the risk of a woman sustaining such an injury.
What are symptoms of a uterine rupture?
Doctors and other medical professionals involved in delivering a baby need to act fast and be aware of the warning signs of a uterine rupture, including:
- Excessive vaginal bleeding.
- Abnormal or sudden change in the baby’s heart rate.
- Contractions become slower and less intense or more painful.
- Sudden drop in blood pressure in the mother.
Doctors often only have 10 to 40 minutes to respond to a uterine rupture. If there is any delay, the baby’s life could be in danger due to suffocating in the woman’s abdomen. If the baby survives, there may be permanent brain damage due to lack of oxygen to the brain. Women who sustain a uterine rupture face serious health risks as well, including severe blood loss and possibly having their uterus surgically removed.
Your rights matter. We can stand up for them. Contact our Ohio law firm
Knowing what to do – and what your rights are – if you or a loved one experienced a uterine rupture during the birth of your child can be confusing. This is especially true if you believe your injury occurred due to medical negligence.
Even if medical professionals clearly made a mistake, don’t simply assume that your family will be fairly compensated for your medical bills and other injury-related expenses. The reality is medical professionals rarely admit wrongdoing. Instead, they often hire an attorney to defend their actions and deny your claim.
We know what’s at stake at The Lancione Law Firm. That’s why we want to help. When you have our legal team on your side, you can count on us to thoroughly investigate your uterine rupture and gather evidence in support of your injury claim. Many insurance companies and lawyers agree to cooperate and negotiate in good faith once they see we’re serious about your case. If not, we will not hesitate to file a birth injury lawsuit on your behalf and take your case to court.
Discover what our Ohio law firm can do for you. Contact us and schedule a free consultation with Ohio birth injury attorney John A. Lancione. You can reach us online or call (440) 331-6100 or (877) 515-4369 to schedule an appointment. Your best interests always come first here.