Legal: Delay in delivery of second twin
A woman sued those involved in delivering her twins claiming the obstetrician took too long delivering the second twin by C/S.
A Connecticut woman delivered twins in 2003. She sued those involved with the delivery claiming the obstetrician delayed too long in delivering the second twin by cesarean section. She claimed the FHR of the second twin was noticeably slow after delivery of the first twin, thought to be due to umbilical cord compression, and that the 25 minutes that elapsed before delivery of the second twin was too long. The infant suffered severe brain damage and will require 24 hour care for life.
The obstetrician initially claimed the hospital's anesthesiologist and operating room nurses were at fault for any delay, but later dropped those claims. The hospital denied any negligence. The jury returned a $38.5 million verdict against the obstetrician only.
Department editor DAWN COLLINS, JD, is an attorney specializing in medical malpractice in Long Beach, CA. She welcomes feedback on this column via e-mail to dawncfree@gmail.com
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