Preventable Birth Injuries in Kansas City: The Impact of Fetal Monitoring Mistakes

Fetal monitoring helps doctors and nurses identify potential problems early when used properly and interpreted correctly. This early warning system allows the medical team to take quick action, such as performing an emergency C-section, if something goes wrong before your baby suffers permanent harm.

Modern fetal monitoring equipment can detect subtle changes that might indicate serious problems. However, the equipment is only effective when medical professionals correctly interpret the data and respond appropriately to warning signs.

How Inadequate Fetal Monitoring Can Lead to Birth Injuries

When medical staff members fail to monitor a baby properly during labor and delivery, severe birth injuries — including oxygen deprivation — can occur. Oxygen deprivation, even for a brief period, may cause cerebral palsy, brain damage, or other permanent disabilities.

Warning signs that should prompt immediate action include decreased fetal movement, irregular heart rate patterns, and signs of fetal distress. If the medical team misses these crucial indicators or delays their response, your baby could suffer lifelong consequences.

Medical professionals must also ensure monitoring equipment works correctly and stays properly positioned throughout labor. Equipment malfunctions or improper placement can result in missed warning signs during critical moments.

Common Fetal Monitoring Errors That May Result in Birth Injuries

Medical staff can make several critical mistakes when monitoring fetal health during labor and delivery. Being aware of these errors helps explain how preventable birth injuries occur. Fetal monitoring errors that occur all too often include: 

Improper Equipment Placement

Improper monitoring equipment placement prevents accurate fetal heart rate readings and contractions. When a monitor slips out of position or a staff member fails to adjust a monitor as needed, it’s possible to miss crucial data about the baby's condition. This can sometimes occur when medical personnel are busy with multiple patients or during shift changes.

Data Interpretation Errors 

Misinterpreting monitoring data is another serious error that can occur. Medical professionals responsible for fetal monitoring must correctly identify patterns that may indicate fetal distress. When monitoring personnel lack proper training or experience, they might miss warning signs indicating that immediate intervention is needed.

Monitoring Gaps

Staff shortages or poor communication between team members can lead to gaps in monitoring. Your baby's vital signs require continuous observation throughout labor. Medical staff might not notice deteriorating conditions when monitoring lapses occur until it's too late to prevent injury.

Delayed Action

Delayed response to concerning monitor readings can put the baby at risk. Examples of this include things like delays in notifying physicians about concerning patterns or hesitation in proceeding with an emergency C-section when needed. Failing to act immediately upon identifying a problem can result in preventable injuries. 

Technical Problems 

Technical issues with monitoring equipment demand immediate attention. Malfunctioning monitors, poor print quality of monitoring strips, or computer system problems require prompt resolution. Medical facilities must maintain their equipment and have contingency plans for technical failures.

How Our Kansas City Birth Injury Law Firm Can Help After a Birth Injury

If your baby experienced a birth injury in Missouri, it’s important to consult with a Kansas City birth injury lawyer right away to protect your family’s rights. Missouri birth injury cases are unique and require extensive medical knowledge and legal experience. The knowledgeable birth injury attorneys at Fowler Pickert Eisenmenger Norfleet are here to help you move forward. 

Our Kansas City birth injury law firm works diligently on behalf of our clients. We understand the difficulty your family is facing and offer free consultations for families impacted by a birth injury. We'll help you understand your legal rights and options and fight for the resources your child needs for the best possible future, whether they were injured due to inadequate fetal monitoring or any other form of medical negligence or malpractice during labor and delivery. 

Our legal team will communicate with the hospital on your behalf so you can focus on caring for your child. We will gather evidence by carefully reviewing relevant medical records to identify potential negligence and working with medical experts who can provide helpful testimony. We also help you identify and document current and future costs associated with your child's care so you can seek appropriate compensation for your family.soc