Health issues are a common concern for pregnant women in Pennsylvania. If there are underlying worries about the mother’s health during the pregnancy, it is especially important for the medical professionals to do whatever possible to take precautions and address them. If there is a mistake or a lack of preventative care, it might justify a lawsuit for compensation.
A recent study shows that medical professional intervention can help pregnant women who have heart disease and suffer life-threatening complications because of it. These women are at significant risk of a cardiac problem during the pregnancy and health care workers taking appropriate action can be essential. There were more than 1,300 patients in the study and the women received treatment in the 10 years from 2004 to 2014. A variety of cardiac issues were assessed including congestive heart failure, stroke, cardiac arrest and death because of cardiac problems.
Of the pregnant woman, 3.6% had serious cardiac events. Researchers found that nearly half of the events could have been prevented. Nearly three-quarters of the women in the study had an event due to healthcare provider management of the issue. Seventeen percent were due to patient-related considerations. Four percent were linked to the system itself and illnesses from the care provided.
The researchers suggest that there is increased urgency to educate everyone involved with the care from the providers to the patients. The size of the facilities where care was given resulted in different outcomes. Factors that led to negative outcomes in smaller facilities included failing to transfer patients who were high-risk and delaying necessary care. The smaller facilities had a greater likelihood of the heart issues being undiagnosed. Larger, more specialized facilities had more patient-related problems.
Having a child is an exciting time for the expectant mother and the family. Although birth is one of the more common events in life and medical professionals are experienced in handling it, mistakes still happen. That is often perceived as being a birth injury, but the mother might have risky conditions placing her in jeopardy. Cardiac conditions can be serious. If they are missed and untreated, it can lead to long-term damage and death. For those who believe a cardiac problem or any other medical issue was missed, having legal advice may be crucial to filing a medical malpractice claim.