Pregnancy is one of the most vulnerable periods in a woman’s life, requiring heightened medical vigilance to protect both mother and child. And although many expectant mothers navigate their pregnancies without major complications, those who develop infections during gestation face a dramatically different reality. Healthcare providers in Philadelphia and throughout Chester County bear significant legal responsibilities when it comes to identifying, preventing, and treating maternal infections that could lead to birth injuries.
What Counts as an Infection During Pregnancy in Chester County?
Maternal infections encompass any bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic condition that a pregnant woman develops during gestation or delivery, and because pregnancy fundamentally alters the immune system, expectant mothers often face heightened susceptibility to certain infections. These infections pose serious risks because they can transfer to the developing fetus through the placenta, during passage through the birth canal, or via exposure to maternal blood and fluids during delivery, pathways that exist only because of pregnancy itself.
Are Chester County Doctors Responsible for Preventing Infections During Pregnancy?
Healthcare providers bear a fundamental obligation to screen for, identify, and appropriately treat these conditions to prevent devastating outcomes, including preterm birth, stillbirth, neonatal sepsis, meningitis, cerebral palsy, and lifelong developmental disabilities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine screening during each pregnancy for infections that pose known risks, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. Healthcare providers must conduct these tests at appropriate intervals throughout pregnancy, typically at the initial prenatal visit and during the third trimester, to ensure any newly acquired infections are caught before delivery.
Beyond these routine screenings, medical professionals should look for symptoms such as fever, unusual discharge, foul-smelling amniotic fluid, elevated heart rate, and burning during urination.
When Does a Missed or Delayed Diagnosis Constitute Negligence?
Not every adverse pregnancy outcome results from medical negligence, and although this reality might seem to provide comfort, it also highlights the profound frustration families experience when their baby is harmed by an infection that standard care would have prevented.
Some infections develop rapidly or present with subtle symptoms that may be difficult to detect even with appropriate monitoring. However, when healthcare providers fail to adhere to established screening protocols, dismiss or ignore reported symptoms, neglect to order indicated diagnostic tests, or delay treatment after an infection is identified, their conduct falls below the accepted standard of care.
How Can Families Prove Medical Malpractice in Birth Injury Cases?
Pennsylvania law establishes specific requirements that must be satisfied to pursue a medical malpractice claim related to birth injuries. Families must demonstrate four essential elements: the existence of a provider-patient relationship establishing a duty of care, a breach of that duty through actions or omissions that fell below professional standards, causation linking the breach directly to the injuries suffered, and damages representing the quantifiable harm that resulted from the negligence.
Proving these elements requires testimony from qualified medical professionals who can explain the applicable standard of care applicable to the defendant’s specialty, identify how the defendant’s conduct deviated from that standard, and confirm through their specialized knowledge that the deviation caused the plaintiff’s injuries rather than occurring coincidentally.
Chester County Birth Injury Lawyer at Samuel Anyan Attorney At Law Will Protect Your Family’s Rights
Families who suspect that medical negligence contributed to complications during pregnancy or delivery should act quickly to protect their legal rights. Get in touch with an experienced Chester County birth injury lawyer at Samuel Anyan Attorney At Law. You can schedule a free initial consultation with a birth injury attorney by messaging us online or by calling us today at 833-372-6946. Our office is in Philadelphia, and we serve clients in the surrounding areas.