Pitocin, the synthetic version of oxytocin, is primarily administered during labor and delivery to induce contractions or manage excessive bleeding after childbirth. Despite it being a helpful obstetric tool, the associated problems cannot be overlooked. The article will focus on the various birth injuries that can result from the use of Pitocin, what healthcare providers are answerable for, and how our medical records review services can assist attorneys in these intricate cases.
What is Pitocin?
Pitocin is ordered as medication in pregnant patients at term with no obvious signs of labor in order to help start contractions. Pitocin can also be helpful in cases such as:
• Induction of Labor: Should a woman reach the end of the pregnancy and labor does not begin, Pitocin will assist in bringing forth contractions.
• Augmentation of Labor: In the instance where a woman is in labor, but progress is lethargic, Pitocin can be mixed to the intravenous fluids in order to bolster the power and rate of contractions.
• Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage: Following the delivery of a baby, Potocin can be used to help with the tonicity in order to decrease the amount of blood lost.
While Pitocin has its advantages, it is imperative that its use is controlled in order to mitigate any potential side effects.
Risks Related to the Use of Pitocin
If used carelessly, Pitocin may cause multiple birth injuries. It is crucial, however, to note that there are other common birth complications like these that arise from its use:
• Fetal Stress: Severe contractions may limit blood flow to the fetus, resulting in distress and possible brain damage.
• Rupture of the Uterus: In rare occasions, the uterus may overstimulate and rupture. This will pose serious risks for both the child and mother.
• Shoulder Dystocia: This happens when the baby’s shoulder is too large for its body. This may occur during delivery, and causes nerve damage, as well as fractures.
• Hypoxia: Babies need oxygen. When insufficient oxygen is supplied, it can damage the baby’s development neurologically.
Concerns regarding the factors that lead to injuries during birth
There are various elements that enhance the risk if birth injuries related to Pitocin use:
• Administration Guidelines: Literally and in every sense, everything has to due with administering incorrect dosages or rapid administration.
• Supervision: Failing to check the mother’s or fetus’ wellbeing during the period of labor may lead to missing warning signs.
• Health problems of the mother: It is undeniable that pre-existing problems like a mother with hypertension or diabetes may complicate the instance of using Pitocin.
Legal Duties of a Health Practitioner
When administering Pitocin, healthcare practitioners must follow the lawful standard of care. In this case, there are some specifics such as:
• Entirely Informed Consent: Patients must be sufficiently informed of the possible advantages and drawbacks of utilizing Pitocin prior to its administration.
• Monitoring: Providers must monitor the mother and fetus throughout the labor for any possible sign of distress that needs intervention.
• Competent Action: There has to be an adequate and appropriate response made by the healthcare provider in case any of the complications occur, otherwise, there will be unchecked risks.
How Medical Records Review Can Help In Birth Injury Cases
Our firm is focused on providing a comprehensive set of services, including review of documentation concerning injuries traced to Pitocin during births for lawyers that specialize in this type of forensic medicine. Some of our services offered include:
• Complete Record Review: We examine the medical records for errors or omissions of the standard care and build a case chronology.
• Professional Opinion: We can assist lawyers in crafting a robust case by giving our expert opinions on the medical elements of the case.
• Document Verification: We aid in assembling documents to be used in court and ensure that all medical elements are incorporated as they should be.
Case Study
Case Study 2:
In a remarkable case, a mother was induced using Pitocin, but the healthcare team did not adequately monitor the fetal heart rate, leading to fetal distress and a brain injury.
Challenges: The most challenging aspect was proving that the ‘failure to monitor’ was negligence and legally, it injured the patient.
Solutions: Our team that reviews medical records performed an extensive review of the labor and delivery documentation and pinpointed all the places where necessary monitoring was not performed. Together with the lawyer, we provided expert witness testimony describing in detail how the medical standard of care is breached in such situations.
Case Study 2:
In another case, a mother developed a uterine rupture while on Pitocin during labor, and the mother’s risk factors were not adequately evaluated, resulting in grave consequences to both her and the child.
Challenges: We tried to prove that the healthcare providers did not account the mother’s relevant pre-existing conditions which heightened the risk factors for uterine rupture during childbirth.
Solutions: After consulting with the attorney, our team evaluated the medical records and noticed deficiencies in risk evaluation and supervision protocols. The report we prepared helped the attorney prove negligence and the subsequent injuries with great detail.
Conclusion
For preventing birth injuries, proper understanding of the risks of Pitocin and the scope of legal liability of the healthcare providers is essential. Our medical records review services assist lawyers in dealing with the intricacy of birth injury cases so that affected families can get the justice and award they seek. There is also increased awareness among healthcare providers about the need to follow set procedures and adequate record-keeping to reduce risks to patients and their practices.