California legal news reports that the California medical board is taking steps to either revoke, suspend or deny the medical license of a Bakersfield OB-GYN for the failure to property treat a high-risk pregnancy that resulted in the death of a fetus. The medical board has cited the doctor with gross negligence.
According to reports, the woman's pregnancy had numerous complications that should have been foreseen based on her history – she was overweight and had suffered hypertension and gestational diabetes. Further, she had had two previous cesarean sections as well an early miscarriage. These conditions point to the potential for a difficult pregnancy and the need for close monitoring. However, the doctor failed to make these notations in her chart, instead writing that she had "no significant past medical history."
Communication failures – including both the failure to ask patients about their medical history and the failure to properly document their history – often forms the basis of medical malpractice. Without proper communication, those treating a patient aren't able to provide the necessary care needed.
In addition to the failure to comment on the patient's past history, the doctor also made a number of other missteps including not documenting the results of any ultrasounds after the first visit, not notating the fetal heart rate despite the mother's complaints of swelling, headaches and vaginal discharge, and charting an abdominal exam as "normal" even though the woman complained of pain and cramps. Further, the mother exhibited signs of kidney damage, but the doctor failed to refer her to a specialist.
After coming to the hospital complaining of pain and not having felt the baby move in an hour, the doctor performed an emergency C-Section. The mother's uterus ruptured, and the fetus was dead when it was delivered.
Where patients suffer harm as the result of a physician's negligent contact, they may file complaints with the Medical Board of California. It is also important to speak to an experienced California medical malpractice attorney to recover compensation for your harm.
For more information, please contact the dedicated and compassionate Los Angeles birth injury lawyers at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.
