Los Angeles Placental Abruption Lawyer
Placental abruption is a serious pregnancy complication that occurs when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before delivery. This separation cuts off the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the baby while putting the mother at risk of life-threatening hemorrhage. If a medical provider fails to recognize the warning signs and respond in time, the results can be catastrophic for both patients.
Birth injury cases are among the most complex areas of medical malpractice law and require a Los Angeles birth injury attorney who understands the medicine as well as the legal strategy that may be at play. The Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel and Associates is led by an award-winning attorney and medical doctor, Dr. Bruce Fagel, who will prioritze your case from the start in Los Angeles, CA.
Call us today at (800) 541-9376 to schedule a free consultation, and learn more about these cases and what you can do to take legal action below.
What Warning Signs Should a Medical Provider Recognize?
Placental abruption does not always present the same way in every patient, but the condition produces recognizable symptoms that an attentive medical team should catch. The most common warning signs include:
- Vaginal bleeding during the second or third trimester
- Sudden abdominal pain paired with uterine tenderness
- Rapid contractions that do not follow a normal labor pattern
- A drop in the mother’s blood pressure
- Abnormal fetal heart rate readings on the monitor
Patients with certain risk factors face a higher likelihood of developing an abruption; conditions like preeclampsia and chronic hypertension are closely associated with the complication as well. The standard of care in these cases generally requires that providers identify and monitor these risk factors early in the pregnancy. If they fail to do so, warning signs that should prompt immediate action can go unnoticed until it is too late.
How Medical Negligence Leads to Placental Abruption Injuries
The harm caused by a placental abruption is almost always tied to how quickly the condition is diagnosed and treated. Some of the most common failures include:
- Misinterpreting vaginal bleeding as a less serious condition and failing to order ultrasound imaging to rule out an abruption
- Ignoring known risk factors during prenatal care, which can allow the condition to develop without adequate surveillance
- Delaying an emergency C-section after the abruption has been identified, allowing oxygen deprivation to continue while the baby remains undelivered
- Poor communication between nurses, obstetricians, and surgical staff that creates avoidable gaps between the decision to deliver and the actual procedure
Each of these breakdowns can lead to prolonged oxygen deprivation for the baby, which is a primary cause of brain damage, cerebral palsy, and infant death in abruption cases.
Contact a Los Angeles Placental Abruption Attorney for a Free Consultation
Placental abruption cases move fast, and the medical records from your delivery hold the answers to whether your provider met the standard of care. The sooner those records are reviewed by someone who knows the medicine, the clearer the picture becomes.
Contact The Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel and Associates at (800) 541-9376 for a free consultation. We’ve won billions of dollars for our clients and will work just as hard on your case from the beginning.
