How Prenatal Screening Mistakes Can Be Malpractice

Prenatal care helps doctors monitor the mother’s and baby’s health during pregnancy. It includes screening for problems that may need treatment or close monitoring. Proper prenatal care helps ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery, while inadequate care or mistakes can endanger the health of both a mother and her child.

Prenatal screening includes the tests, exams, and monitoring doctors perform throughout a pregnancy. These tests are designed to catch potential fetal and maternal health problems early and intervene to prevent harm. Common types of prenatal screening include blood pressure checks, ultrasounds, urine tests, and fetal heart monitoring.

If medical providers fail to follow proper prenatal screening protocols, they may cause harm to their patients. This type of negligence or mistake may lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Medical Malpractice and Prenatal Care

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider fails to meet the accepted standard of care, and that failure causes harm. Doctors must know how to recognize and treat common pregnancy complications. If they ignore warning signs or skip recommended screenings, it may increase the risk of damage to both the mother and baby.

Prenatal care providers have a legal duty to monitor the mother’s and baby’s health. They must follow accepted medical standards to identify and treat suspected issues. They must also identify and manage pregnancy-related risks to prevent harm and ensure timely treatment or referral when necessary. Failing to do so may constitute medical malpractice.

While many types of prenatal screening mistakes can cause harm, medical malpractice lawsuits frequently involve misdiagnosing or mismanaging a few common prenatal conditions.

Gestational Diabetes Mismanagement

Gestational diabetes affects how a mother’s body processes glucose during pregnancy. It can cause complications during pregnancy or labor and delivery if it isn’t properly diagnosed and controlled. It may cause the baby to grow too large, increasing the risk of birth injuries, emergency C-section, or stillbirth.

Current medical guidelines recommend that care providers screen pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks. However, providers should test earlier in mothers with risk factors like obesity, family history, or prior history of gestational diabetes.

Identifying gestational diabetes early and implementing a tailored management plan can help keep patients safe. Prenatal care providers should educate patients on lifestyle modifications and ensure they closely monitor glucose levels throughout the third trimester. Inadequate follow-up, improper monitoring, or failing to refer a woman to a specialist (such as an endocrinologist or dietitian) may constitute malpractice if it leads to complications and harm.

Failure To Recognize Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia describes persistent high blood pressure during pregnancy, often developing after 20 weeks. It can lead to serious health problems, including seizures, organ failure, or death. Symptoms that may indicate preeclampsia include high blood pressure, protein in urine, swelling, headaches, and vision changes.

If a doctor fails to recognize or appropriately respond to these signs, a woman may develop eclampsia, a potentially fatal condition. Waiting too long to induce labor or perform a C-section when preeclampsia worsens can cause irreversible damage.

Accurate and consistent blood pressure testing, regular urine testing, and taking patient-reported symptoms seriously are crucial for early diagnosis. Prenatal providers should be ready to intervene swiftly and appropriately. Delayed preeclampsia diagnosis or treatment may be grounds for a malpractice claim.

Genetic Screening Errors

Genetic screening can help identify whether a baby may have a chromosomal or genetic condition. Tests can reveal conditions like Down syndrome or spina bifida in the first or second trimesters.

Prenatal care providers should ensure patients understand what tests are available and what happens if the results indicate potential issues. Making timely referrals to other specialists, such as a genetic counselor, can help patients understand the test results and make informed decisions.

Problems often occur when a provider fails to offer genetic testing, misinterprets the results, or doesn’t inform the parents of serious findings. This can deny the patient the opportunity to seek additional, specialized prenatal care. It may also prevent them from making informed choices, such as deciding to end their pregnancy. Under Michigan law, these types of mistakes are sometimes referred to as “wrongful birth” claims and may fall under medical malpractice.

Failure To Identify High-Risk Pregnancies

Certain factors increase the risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery. These include maternal age (under 18 or over 35), preexisting medical conditions, multiple gestations (twins, triplets, etc.), prior pregnancy complications, and lifestyle factors such as smoking or substance use.

An early and comprehensive assessment helps categorize risk and set the course for specialized prenatal care. Doctors should identify high-risk pregnancies early and adjust care accordingly, since risk status can change throughout pregnancy. Overlooking red flags in a patient’s history, failing to escalate care when appropriate, and inadequately communicating with other medical providers can constitute malpractice.

What Michigan Families Can Do

Prenatal screening is a vital part of pregnancy care. When done correctly, it can prevent many serious complications. But the consequences can be life-changing when doctors ignore signs, skip tests, or fail to act. In Michigan, families have legal options if medical negligence leads to harm.

If you believe a prenatal screening mistake led to a serious birth injury or harmed your health, talk to a medical malpractice lawyer with experience handling pregnancy-related cases. The experienced attorneys at Sommers Schwartz, P.C., can help you understand your rights and determine whether you have a case. Don’t wait to get legal advice, because there are limits on how long you have to file a Michigan medical malpractice claim. Contact us today for a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation.