It is not accident or illness that account for the largest percentage of trips to the hospital; it is childbirth. Each year, almost four million women visit U.S. hospitals to have their babies, and most of these births are uneventful. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies are noticing that the number of women who suffer complications during and after childbirth is on the rise in New York and across the country. Medical professionals are in the crosshairs when these parents blame misdiagnoses and negligence as the causes of their complications.
According to CDC data, about 50,000 women a year suffer post-delivery complications, including infections, hemorrhages and organ failure. About 800 women die each year from illnesses apparently related to childbirth. Thousands others suffer life-altering consequences, such as hysterectomies, organ and tissue damage, heart disease and chronic pain. Some analysts believe that women are not given enough post-delivery care, and that signs of infection or other problems may be missed because the focus shifts to the baby’s well-being.
Many symptoms of complications don’t appear until days or weeks after childbirth, perhaps making it difficult for doctors to diagnose their causes. Additionally, mothers in the United States tend to be older than in past generations. This may mean they enter childbirth with already-existing conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Because childbirth is a natural and common occurrence, it comes as a shock to many when complications arise that injure or take the life of a new mother. Medical professionals may be blamed for these complications and face the struggle of having to defend their actions. In such cases, the assistance of a New York attorney with experience defending against malpractice claims will certainly prove beneficial.
Source: npr.org, “Nearly Dying In Childbirth: Why Preventable Complications Are Growing In U.S.“, Katherine Ellison and Nina Martin, Dec. 22, 2017