Seattle Medical Malpractice Law Blog

Under certain circumstances, a woman who has previously delivered a baby via cesarean section can give birth to her second child, and any subsequent children, by vaginal delivery. If you are expecting a new baby in Washington and the idea of vaginal birth after cesarean appeals to you, ask your doctor if you are a good candidate. VBAC is not for everyone, and there are risks as well as potential benefits involved. 

In the past, doctors and hospitals refused to attempt a vaginal delivery with a mother who had already had one child via cesarean. Since medical knowledge and surgical techniques have advanced since that time, many doctors, clinics and hospitals, though not all of them, now attempt VBAC with women whom they deem to be good candidates. Today, according to WebMD, most VBAC attempts are successful. However, an unsuccessful VBAC attempt is a medical emergency requiring urgent C-section. Some hospitals lack the capability to handle that type of situation, so they do not allow VBAC attempts at all. Therefore, if you are considering VBAC, be sure to find out whether the facility will permit it.

People in Washington State who consent to undergo planned surgeries should receive a thorough explanation of what will take place during their operations, especially if they are expected to be sedated and not awake during the events. This knowledge and overview may help reduce a person's anxiety as it provides them some confirmation of what is going to happen. However, there may be times when a surgeon does not do what was explained.

In some situations, a medical emergency may warrant a different course of action. However, in other situations, surgical errors may be the root cause of different actions or outcomes. An example of this can be seen in the case of a woman in Florida. In 2016, the woman was admitted to the hospital for a surgery on her back. One surgeon was supposed to open her up and two other surgeons were supposed to perform the operation.

Most people in Washington State might assume that after undergoing an operation they would be monitored by health care professionals in person. It seems, however, that not all post-surgical care is actually delivered in this manner.

As reported by National Public Radio, there is a special type of intensive care unit called an electronic intensive care unit that features a collection of electronic monitoring devices setup to track a patient's status. These devices are in turn monitored by actual people in an offsite location. A new documentary recounts one case in which a woman was put into one of these eICUs after having surgery to replace a hip.

When a child in Washington has cerebral palsy, it may be present at birth but go undetected for months or even a year or more. One of the key indicators that your baby may have cerebral palsy is a failure to meet developmental milestones like crawling, walking or rolling over.

The condition affects muscle tone and movement due to brain abnormalities. According to WebMD, there are four different types of cerebral palsy, categorized by the type of movement involved, and some of these also involve several subtypes.