During pregnancy, the amniotic fluid serves an essential role in the fetus’s development. It is necessary to the development of the digestive system, limbs, lungs, and muscles, and it helps to protect the fetus as it grows and shifts in the womb. As a result, when not enough amniotic fluid is present, this can present a number of risks for the fetus. The condition of not having enough amniotic fluid is referred to as oligohydramnios.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, about four percent of mothers are diagnosed with oligohydramnios during their pregnancies, and oligohydramnios causes complications in about 12 percent of pregnancies that go past 41 weeks. However, these complications can often be prevented with appropriate medical care. As a result, if your child has experienced complications caused by oligohydramnios, you should consult with an experienced Connecticut oligohydramnios lawyer, as your family may be entitled to financial compensation for malpractice.
Due to the prevalence of oligohydramnios, it is a risk that should be addressed during all pregnancies. This begins with assessing maternal risk factors as early in the pregnancy as possible – if not prior to the mother becoming pregnant. Maternal risk factors that can increase the chances of a fetus developing abnormally due to insufficient amniotic fluid include:
These and other risks can lead to various conditions that can result in reduced amniotic fluid during pregnancy. Examples of these conditions include:
During pregnancy, the mother’s doctor should monitor for signs of these and other conditions; and, if a risk for oligohydramnios is identified, then appropriate steps should be taken to mitigate the risks to the fetus. If the amount of amniotic fluid in the womb is insufficiently low, then the mother’s doctor should provide appropriate care and recommendations for delivering the baby as safely as possible. Failure to consult, failure to diagnose, and failure to treat are all common forms of malpractice during pregnancy for which families in Connecticut can recover financial compensation.
Oligohydramnios during pregnancy can lead to both short-term and long-term complications for the baby. Once again, it is the doctor’s responsibility to identify the risk of these complications and timely provide appropriate care in order to protect the baby, and the mother, to the fullest extent possible. Complications associated with oligohydramnios, or low amniotic fluid, during pregnancy include:
According to Patient, earlier occurrence of oligohydramnios in pregnancy results in a poorer prognosis. For oligohydramnios diagnoses in the second trimester, maternal mortality rates have been reported as high as 80-90 percent. The specific risks for the fetus or child depend on the timing and severity of oligohydramnios as well as the specific complications that result. In some cases, it may be possible for the child to fully recover and not experience any long-term ill effects. However, as noted above, inadequate amniotic fluid also has the potential to be fatal, and this makes it absolutely essential for doctors to diagnose and address the risks of oligohydramnios as early as possible.
In terms of treatment, what is necessary will depend on the specific complications experienced during or after pregnancy. Regular monitoring is critical, and doctors must ensure that expecting mothers and new parents have a clear understanding of what is necessary in order to mitigate the risk of serious or fatal complications resulting from oligohydramnios.
If your doctor failed to diagnose or treat oligohydramnios during pregnancy, you may have a claim for medical malpractice. Given the potential for severe complications from oligohydramnios, doctors in Connecticut have a duty to take adequate measures to identify risk factors and address them when they arise. When doctors breach this duty, they can, and should, be held accountable.
Holding a doctor accountable for medical malpractice typically involves filing a claim with their malpractice insurer. If your family has a claim, our Connecticut oligohydramnios lawyers can pursue a claim on your family’s behalf. We will work with you to understand all of the financial and non-financial impacts of your doctor’s mistake, and we will use our experience to seek the full compensation to which your family is legally entitled.
Coping with the effects of a misdiagnosis or failure to treat can be extremely difficult. This is especially true when it is your child who suffers the consequences. At Berkowitz Hanna, we understand what you are going through, and we are committed to ensuring that families like yours do not suffer more than necessary. Contact us today to learn about your family’s legal rights from an experienced Connecticut oligohydramnios attorney in confidence.
At Berkowitz Hanna, we help Connecticut families recover just compensation for complications and birth injuries resulting from malpractice. If you would like to speak with a Connecticut oligohydramnios lawyer about filing a claim for failure to properly diagnose or treat oligohydramnios, we invite you to call us or contact us online for a free consultation.
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