Pregnancy is highly stressful on the body. Early in a pregnancy, you might experience severe vomiting, leading to a drop in the salt levels in your blood, or hyponatremia. Both hyponatremia and its treatment can cause a life-threatening and disabling condition called “central pontine myelinolysis.”
Uterine rupture is another pregnancy risk. This condition can happen in a pregnancy after a prior cesarean delivery. While a central pontine myelinolysis uterine rupture would be rare, either condition can occur on its own.
If a doctor failed to adhere to the appropriate standard of care during your pregnancy in Atlanta, GA, turn to Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers for legal guidance. We can discuss your options for financial recovery to help you move forward.
Contact our Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers for a free case review today at (770) 390-7550.
How Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Uterine Rupture Claim in Atlanta, GA
The team at Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers has assisted injured clients in Atlanta, Georgia, for over 55 years. Our attorneys use their decades of experience to help victims of medical malpractice and other traumas recover compensation. We have made a meaningful difference in thousands of lives by fighting for the catastrophically injured.
We provide the following legal services to clients and families dealing with injury or death due to a healthcare provider’s actions:
- Educating you about your legal rights and options
- Gathering evidence for your case, including medical records and expert testimony
- Filing claims against any party that contributed to the injuries
- Negotiating to settle your claims
- Taking your case to court against parties who refuse to settle fairly
Serious injuries can destroy your health and ruin your financial stability. To learn how we can help with a birth injury claim, contact our law firm for a free consultation with an Atlanta medical malpractice attorney.
What Causes Central Pontine Myelinolysis and Uterine Rupture?
When you think of birth injuries, you probably think of injuries to the baby. However, mothers can also suffer life-threatening and disabling complications from medical errors during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
Central pontine myelinolysis is a neurological condition that happens when the myelin sheath covering nerve and brain cells suffers damage. When it breaks down, nerve signals can get lost or crossed.
As a result, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Inability to speak
- Difficulty swallowing
- Facial paralysis
- Weakness and tremors
- Loss of balance
This condition is sometimes diagnosed in burn victims and liver transplant recipients. It can also affect pregnant women suffering from a severe form of morning sickness called “hyperemesis gravidarum.” These patients experience such severe vomiting episodes that they become dehydrated.
In treating this dehydration, doctors and nurses might mistakenly give the mother too much salt. The rapid increase in salt levels can damage the nerves.
Uterine rupture is another injury that can affect women during pregnancy. This complication can happen spontaneously. However, women who have scars from a prior cesarean delivery or who receive excessive medication to induce labor have a higher risk that stress during labor will tear the uterus. Thus, an unnecessary C-section or other medical errors can cause this condition.
What Are the Complications of Central Pontine Myelinolysis and Uterine Rupture?
Central pontine myelinolysis is a neurological condition. The damaged nerves can cause temporary or permanent paralysis. In severe cases, the patient may experience locked-in syndrome, where all voluntary nerve signals cease. Coma and death are also possible.
Uterine rupture can have deadly consequences for both the mother and her baby. This condition can cause part of the fetus or umbilical cord to slip out of the uterus, resulting in fetal death. It can also cause life-threatening maternal hemorrhaging.
How Do You Determine the Value of a Birth Injury Case?
The severity of the injuries will affect the compensation you recover. Those that cause permanent disabilities will involve greater losses and, thus, justify greater compensation.
However, many other factors can impact the value of a birth injury claim. Examples include your lost wages, the impact of the injuries on your (and your child’s) quality of life, and the extent of your emotional distress.
What Compensation Can Medical Malpractice Victims Seek in Atlanta, Georgia?
You can seek compensation for economic damages, including medical expenses, lost income, and other financial losses. You can also pursue compensation for non-economic damages for pain and suffering.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Atlanta, GA?
Most Georgia medical malpractice lawyers charge a contingency fee — a percentage of the compensation they recover for you in a verdict or settlement. If the lawyer recovers nothing, you owe nothing.
What Is the Statute of Limitations For Medical Malpractice Lawsuits in Georgia?
Georgia’s time limit for most medical malpractice actions is two years. This time starts running on the date of the medical error unless you did not discover the injury until later.
Reach out to an experienced Atlanta birth injury attorney to ensure that your claim is filed within the applicable deadline.
Contact Our Atlanta Birth Injury Lawyers For a Free Consultation To Discuss Your Central Pontine Myelinolysis Case
Medical malpractice can forever alter a mother’s life. Contact Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to learn how we can help you recover meaningful compensation.