While modern advances in medical science have dramatically lowered both infant and maternal mortality rates in developed countries, there are still birth complications that every healthcare provider should know how to identify and treat. In addition, it is vital for healthcare providers to provide comprehensive postpartum care for mothers who have recently given birth, especially when it comes to identifying life-threatening complications such as sepsis.
If you or a family member suffered serious harm from an infection in the weeks after giving birth, you should strongly consider speaking with a Connecticut maternal sepsis malpractice lawyer from Berkowitz and Hanna LLC. You may have grounds to demand comprehensive compensation from the doctors who caused or failed to properly treat your condition.
Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection in a way that causes inflammation in internal organs as well as in various other parts of the body. It is fairly rare, but not impossible, for women to develop sepsis directly because of complications from childbirth. Risk factors that may influence the likelihood of maternal sepsis occurring include a history of immune system problems, prolonged labor, cervical sutures, and unaddressed placental discharge.
Symptoms of maternal sepsis can likewise vary a lot from person to person, but common signs that physicians should know to look for include:
Anyone presenting any of these symptoms after giving birth should seek emergency medical attention as soon as possible. Once the mother’s condition is stable, a Connecticut maternal sepsis malpractice attorney can discuss legal options with them or their family members.
Maternal sepsis is very rare in the modern-day United States. When someone does experience sepsis in the weeks after giving birth despite ostensibly being cared for by qualified obstetricians, there is a good chance that their doctors were negligent in some way. Nevertheless, the burden of proving grounds to sue for malpractice in a situation like this still lies with the mother, or with her immediate family members if she is unable to represent herself in court.
It is essential to be aware that courts in Connecticut will not just take a plaintiff’s word for it that their doctor did not provide the expected “standard of care”—in other words, that they were negligent in a way which no other equally qualified physician would have been under the same circumstances. A skilled Connecticut lawyer’s help can be essential to constructing a maternal sepsis malpractice case that meets all legal requirements.
Medical negligence at any stage of a pregnancy can have devastating effects. Malpractice after childbirth can sometimes be just as dangerous, especially if it leads to a serious infection going untreated for so long that it turns into life-threatening sepsis.
A Connecticut maternal sepsis malpractice lawyer from Berkowitz and Hanna LLC can help you and your loved ones demand fair compensation. Call today and set up your free case consultation. We are here to help.
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