The Risks of Placental Perfusion Disruption
When you have a team of medical professionals working to ensure that you and your unborn baby are healthy, it can be easy to assume that what they are doing is best for you. The majority of the time, you would be right; however, doctors and nurses make mistakes or act negligently like anyone else, and that can lead to complications and injuries for both you and your baby-to-be.
What is placental perfusion?
While monitoring every aspect of the body during pregnancy is important, observing the placenta that surrounds your baby is critical. The placenta is an essential organ that connects the developing fetus to the mother’s blood supply.
Placental perfusion is the process of blood flow between the mother and the fetus through the placenta. The placenta is a unique organ that allows for oxygen and nutrients to pass from the mother’s blood supply to the fetus and allows for the removal of waste products from the fetus. The placenta also produces hormones that help maintain the pregnancy. As we can see, having a healthy placenta and ensuring that the placental perfusion taking place is typical, are essential aspects of having a safe and successful labor and delivery.
What risk factors can lead to placental disruption?
Disruption of placental perfusion can lead to serious birth injuries for the baby. When placental perfusion gets disrupted (also referred to as placental insufficiency), the baby may not receive enough oxygen and nutrients, which can cause fetal distress, hypoxia, and brain damage. The baby may also be at risk of premature birth and low birth weight. In severe cases, disruption of placental perfusion can lead to stillbirth or neonatal death.
In a study on placental perfusion disruption (PPD) and abnormality, it was discovered that “stillbirths were more common among women with APP [abnormal placental perfusion] than among those with normal placental perfusion (stillbirth rate, 4.3 ‰ vs 0.9 ‰).” Placental abnormalities are one of the most common causes of stillbirths.
Several factors can increase the risk of abnormal placental perfusion, including:
- Maternal hypertension: High blood pressure during pregnancy can restrict blood flow to the placenta, leading to placental insufficiency and fetal distress.
- Maternal smoking and drug use: Smoking during pregnancy can restrict blood flow to the placenta and increase the risk of placental insufficiency.
- Maternal diabetes: Diabetes during pregnancy can increase the risk of placental insufficiency and fetal distress.
- Maternal age: Advanced maternal age can increase the risk of placental insufficiency and fetal distress.
- Multiple pregnancies: Placental insufficiency is more common in pregnancies with multiple fetuses.
It is important to talk to your healthcare provider about your concerns if you believe that you are at risk for PPD. If the provider is doing their job appropriately, they should be able to recognize if you are in danger of this condition as they should be monitoring you and your fetus’s health throughout your pregnancy.
What should doctors be doing to prevent PPD?
Doctors have a duty to monitor a pregnant patient’s placental perfusion and take appropriate action if it appears to be abnormal or becomes disrupted. Doctors should be monitoring the fetal heart rate during prenatal visits and during labor and delivery. A non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern may indicate placental disruption and the need for further evaluation and intervention. Doctors should also perform ultrasounds to assess fetal growth and amniotic fluid levels, which can indicate placental insufficiency.
If a doctor suspects PPD, they should take appropriate action to manage the condition. This may include recommending bed rest, medications to lower blood pressure, or delivery of the baby.
How medical malpractice can lead to placental perfusion issues
Doctors and medical staff can be held liable for medical malpractice if they fail to provide care that meets the standard of care for a particular medical condition. If a doctor or medical staff member fails to monitor a pregnant patient’s placental perfusion or fails to take appropriate action when placental insufficiency is suspected, and the baby suffers harm as a result, the doctor or medical staff member may be held liable for medical malpractice.
For example, if a doctor fails to order an ultrasound to assess fetal growth and amniotic fluid levels when placental insufficiency is suspected, and the baby suffers brain damage as a result, the doctor may be held liable for medical malpractice. Similarly, if a nurse fails to notify the doctor of a non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern, and the baby is stillborn, that nurse could be held responsible for the wrongful death of the child. In either scenario, the hospital may also be held partially liable.
One of the joys of pregnancy is knowing that you are sustaining the baby inside of you. Your body is providing for the infant and keeping it safe. Sometimes, that process can be abnormal or disrupted, and that is when you need an experienced and knowledgeable medical staff to help both you and your baby through a possibly risky pregnancy and delivery. If that staff does not perform their duties as they should, and you or your baby suffer from their neglect, then that is when you need a birth injury attorney.
We are extremely grateful for the hardworking doctors, nurses, and midwives who use their wealth of medical knowledge to help us when we need it, but neglect can occur in any profession; and when that happens to you, you should seek out the help of an experienced birth injury lawyer. Contact us in Louisville or Lexington for help.
Wilt Injury Lawyers has long helped out parents and families who have suffered from medical malpractice, and secured millions in settlements for them. You do not deserve to pay for the harm that was done to you or your child through neglect. Let us help. To schedule a free consultation, please call us or fill out our contact form. We maintain offices in Lexington and Louisville, and proudly serve clients throughout Kentucky.