Dallas County (Tex) District Court
A woman presented to the hospital for delivery. During labor, fetal monitors revealed a nonreassuring fetal heart rate (FHR). As a result, the baby was delivered via emergency cesarean section. At birth, the infant had no heart rate and was apneic, asystolic, cyanotic, and flaccid. He now suffers from static encephalopathy.
In suing, the mother alleged that the hospital and nursing staff were negligent in monitoring the fetus and ignored the presence of a nonreassuring FHR.
The physicians and nurses argued that they acted within the standard of care and that the infant’s birth injuries were a result of a maternal infection and gestational diabetes.
- The case settled for $11 million.