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In January I gave birth to a baby girl. She passed away 4 hours later from a condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Her case was severe, most of her organs were in her chest cavity and her liver was the size of a fist. I had multiple ultrasounds during my pregnancies, at least 6, because I'm a type 1 diabetic. This condition is usually diagnosed during pregnancy and I'm wondering how this wasn't seen? Seeing as it was such a severe case, her organs were in the wrong area, and her liver was so huge. I kept being told she looked "perfect" I even elected to have my tubes tied and while they were tying my tubes they called my husband back to tell him something was wrong with our daughter. Now I can't have children again unless I try a tubal reversal, Not to mention that there is a surgery that can be done while pregnant that might have saved my daughters life.My pre-e wasn't diagnosed until after either even when i complained of bad swelling. Is this something I should pursue?
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John J. Ratkowitz
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Congenital diaphragmatic hernias are typically discovered by routine ultrasound at 16 to 18 weeks gestation. After they are discovered, the baby is monitored and usually the problem is repaired surgically after the baby is born. Sometimes, therapy can be undertaken prior to that point in time in severe situations. The survival rate of babies born with this condition has been reported to the around 70%.
It certainly sounds like you have reason to suspect that you received negligent obstetric care. If you want to investigate a malpractice case, you should contact a local medical malpractice attorney (one in your state). They take these cases on a contingency basis which means you only have to pay if you succeed. Additionally, initial consultations are usually free. You can use the "Find a Lawyer" service through this website to research medical malpractice attorneys. Then, visit each attorney's website and look for a firm that has a record of successful verdicts, ideally with experience in cases that involve your medical issue. If you are unable to find a lawyer who meets these qualifications within your state, sometimes you may contact an out of state lawyer who can refer you to a qualified attorney in your state while providing support related to the issues of medicine.
Below are some articles you may find helpful. They are written for a New Jersey audience (where I practice) but the ideas discussed in these articles usually apply in most other jurisdictions as well.
Answered on Apr 26th, 2013 at 9:56 AM