Kaiser Permanente, together with its subsidiaries and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, is one of the largest managed care organizations in our country. It has provided quality health care services to Americans, including residents of New Haven, Connecticut, since 1945, including the successful delivery of newborns. Unfortunately, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan is named as a defendant in a medical malpractice lawsuit in connection with an alleged birth injury in one of its medical centers.

Expecting moms in Connecticut know a mere delay on a C-section delivery can risk their baby’s health. Unfortunately, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, a member of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and the delivery team allegedly failed to perform a C-section on time. According to the medical malpractice lawsuit, findings showed that the baby suffered fetal distress after 14 hours of labor at the hospital. The mother was past her term, which significantly required timely intervention and supervision from the staff.

However, the baby’s mother claimed that the staff failed to notice the ongoing issues with her unborn child. Due to this, the C-section delivery of her baby was delayed. After the baby was born, he was blue and not breathing. The newborn eventually died and an autopsy showed that the cause of death is pulmonary hemorrhage due to pre-natal oxygen deprivation.

The medical malpractice lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages for physical pain, anxiety and emotional anguish caused by the tragic birth injury.

Poor medical decisions of a doctor during delivery can lead to dire consequences for the mother and the unborn child. For instance, delaying a c-section could cause significant problems for the baby, ranging from cerebral palsy to disabilities or even infant death.

The pain of losing a child due to doctor’s error can be emotionally difficult for the expecting parents as well. However, any losses or damages caused by poor medical decisions in Connecticut could give rise to a medical negligence lawsuit.

Source: Courthouse News Service, “Kaiser Delays Cesarean, Baby Dies, Mother Claims,” Barbara Wallace, Jan. 31, 2014