Fetal Distress Injury Attorney in Pittsburgh, PA

Birth injuries are among the most tragic of all medical malpractice scenarios, as—given advancements in the medical field over recent decades—there are often ways to manage the risks and prevent the injury altogether. Healthcare professionals must exercise reasonable care when working with patients to ensure that fetal distress is identified early and treated appropriately. Failure to do so could lead to fetal distress-related birth injuries, typically brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen and birth asphyxia. If your child suffered a birth injury, contact a Pittsburgh fetal distress birth injury lawyer for help with your case.

If your baby has suffered injuries due to a fetal distress-related issue caused by the medical negligence of a healthcare professional, then you may be entitled to damages under Pennsylvania law. We encourage you to contact our experienced Pittsburgh fetal distress lawyer at Matzus Law, LLC for further assistance.

Risk Factors Contributing to the Possibility of Fetal Distress in Washington, PA

Fetal distress may arise due to a number of different factors, including:

• Gestational diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia
• Intrauterine growth restriction
• Uterine hyperstimulation
• Uterine rupture
• Infections
• Umbilical cord issues
• Placental abruption
• Multiple pregnancies
• And more

These risk factors are not a guarantee of fetal distress concerns later on, but they should give treating professionals cause to monitor your status throughout your pregnancy (and labor) and perform the necessary diagnostics to determine whether there is fetal distress. For example, if you have umbilical cord compression, then your physician will likely want to evaluate fetal heart rate more closely than they might otherwise.

Medical Negligence in the Fetal Distress Context at Butler Hospitals

Not all mistakes constitute medical negligence (and therefore give rise to medical malpractice liability). In order to attach liability to a healthcare-professional defendant, you’ll have to show that the defendant violated the applicable standard of care. Essentially, the standard of care is a measuring stick for what constitutes “reasonable” conduct given the circumstances. If the defendant healthcare professional has conducted themselves in such a way that another healthcare professional who is similarly situated would not have, and the defendant’s conduct led to injuries, then it may qualify as medical negligence under PA law.

For example, suppose that you are pregnant, and the signs of prenatal fetal movement are lacking. A reasonable healthcare professional — with similar training and background, and given similar circumstances — would order diagnostic tests to determine whether there is fetal distress. Failure to do so would therefore constitute medical malpractice, so long as birth injuries actually occurred.

In the fetal distress context, healthcare professionals must act quickly to determine whether there is fetal distress and how to treat it. In some cases, non-invasive treatments may be possible (i.e., repositioning, oxygen administration, fluid administration, rest, etc.), while in other cases, an emergency C-section delivery may be necessary. These decisions are critically important — failure to perform the correct procedure (and untimely delays) could lead to severe birth injuries that have lifelong consequences.

Contact an Experienced Pittsburgh Fetal Distress Birth Injury Lawyer for Assistance with Your Claims

A Pittsburgh fetal distress attorney at Matzus Law has decades of experience representing clients in a range of personal injury and medical malpractice disputes in Western Pennsylvania, including those that involve fetal distress and other birth injuries. Here at Matzus Law, LLC, we are committed to client-oriented, comprehensive legal advocacy. To that end, we engage closely with clients from beginning to end of litigation, and we work with various medical professionals — on staff and externally — to ensure that we are apprised of all the necessary facts as we move forward with a lawsuit. This unique approach to litigation has earned us a number of wins over the years. In fact, we have a consistent track record of success in securing favorable verdicts and settlements for our PA medical malpractice clients.

If your baby has suffered birth injuries in a fetal distress scenario that was caused by the medical negligence of a treating healthcare professional, then Pennsylvania law may give you a right of action against the defendant for damages. Call Matzus Law or submit an online claim form through our website to schedule a free and confidential consultation with an experienced Pittsburgh fetal distress birth injury lawyer.