The Risks of Using Forceps in Delivery
During childbirth, circumstances may arise which require a physician to intervene and assist to facilitate a delivery that is experiencing complications. Occasionally, this may involve the use of tools and medical devices that may expose mother or child to additional risk of injury. Forceps, which can be used to grip the infant while exiting the womb, can lead to several different adverse health effects if an attending physician does not exercise the utmost caution.
Contact the Houston medical malpractice attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 832-369-8296 if you or your newborn has suffered because of the negligence of a delivery room doctor or nurse.
Associated Problems
In general, it is advisable to use forceps only in the event of an emergency when there is no time for or there are contraindications to other options. Although necessary in these cases, if forceps are misused, the consequences can be serious. These problems may include:
- cephalohematoma
- lacerations and tearing in the womb
- facial paralysis
- skull fractures
While it is possible that some injuries inflicted by poorly-used forceps will heal over time, it is also possible that problems such as fractures or ruptured blood vessels can develop into more serious complications. Not only do the treatments for these additional complications take time, but they have high financial and emotional costs on parents and children alike.
Contact Us
If your family has had to cope with any of these adverse effects because of a physician’s inability to properly handle forceps, you may be entitled to take legal action. Contact the Houston medical malpractice lawyers of Williams Kherkher by calling 832-369-8296 today.