Severe Preeclampsia can cause brain-damage if left untreated. Once again, South Carolina is in the news for its “sky-high and preventable rate of pregnancies that end in death or serious, long-term medical consequences.” (TheState.com)
34-year-old Jodie Roberts entered the hospital on Monday, July 19, 2018 with excitement, knowing she would soon see her second son for the first time. She was aware that her pregnancy was risky, because of her age, and the fact that she was overweight. She also had diabetes and high blood pressure, according to a legal filing by the family’s attorney.
High Risk Obstetrics
Because of the risks, her doctors admitted her to Prisma Health’s high risk obstetrics department in Columbia.
When Roberts’ Aunt Becky Kelly visited her on Tuesday afternoon, she says she knew something was wrong. Jodie looked panicked, and was having trouble breathing. Jodie told her she had been complaining to staff and repeatedly asking for a C-section. Kelly says she went to talk to the nurse several times, and was told that Roberts’ doctor wanted her to deliver the baby naturally.
Preeclampsia Statistics
“Roberts was suffering from preeclampsia, a little known but dangerous condition that affects one in 25 pregnant women, according to an affidavit” from an OB/GYN who reviewed Roberts’ medical records.
Preeclampsia Defined
Preeclampsia is a complication that causes a pregnant woman’s blood pressure to spike, which can cause severe headaches, changes in vision, nausea or vomiting, impaired liver function, swelling of the hands and face, and shortness of breath.
If untreated, preeclampsia can lead to serious, even fatal complications for the baby and/or for the mother. Severe preeclampsia can even cause brain-damage. However, it is highly treatable if caught early.
Preeclampsia Treatment
Quick actions need to be taken, including administering magnesium and delivering the baby by C-section (once the pregnancy is far enough along).
Experts advise treating preeclampsia with anti-hypertension drugs and magnesium at 160/110, to prevent seizures.
Signs of Preeclampsia
The first sign of preeclampsia is usually a rise in blood pressure. Sometimes there are no other symptoms; therefore, it’s very important to monitor your blood pressure during pregnancy.
According to Roberts’ attorney, and the expert witness, Prisma Health waited far too long to take any action to treat her preeclampsia. At 8:46pm Tuesday, Roberts said she couldn’t breathe. Three hours later, she complained of pain and discomfort, even though she had already been given an epidural.
Roberts’ blood pressure of 200/150 was considered severe preeclampsia, which can cause brain-damage. Treatment was still delayed.
At 1:56am, Roberts went into cardiac arrest. Her breathing stopped, and her family says she didn’t breathe for about 20 minutes. Finally, at this point, doctors performed an emergency C-section.
Severe Preeclampsia Complications
Doctors were able to resuscitate Roberts, but she has been in a vegetative state ever since. The lawsuit says, “Jodie’s injuries were the direct and proximate result of multiple occurrences of gross negligence, including the hospital’s decision to continue to induce labor even as Roberts’ vital signs showed she was in extreme danger and distress.”
An affidavit by Dr. Samuel, who had reviewed the medical records said her caregivers:
- “Failed to adequately treat her high blood pressure and preeclampsia from her admission until the emergency delivery 42 hours later
- Waited too long to treat Roberts with magnesium…, and failed to evaluate Roberts’ oxygen deficiency for at least 24 hours during labor
- Continued inducing labor even though Roberts’ vital signs showed she had severe high blood pressure and hypoxia”
Jodie Roberts can’t move, speak, or recognize her family. She can breathe on her own, and can open her eyes; but her family says they don’t know if she can actually see, hear, or understand what’s going on around her.
Roberts now has to have a caregiver around the clock to bathe her, change her colostomy bag, tube-feed her three times a day, and crush and administer 14 medications every day.
Her family is suing to pay for her medical expenses and therapy (to possibly trigger something that can help her at least partially recover). Her family says her long-term care could cost millions of dollars.
Roberts is not alone. Unfortunately, her case is just one of many that “illustrate a growing concern over America’s high and rising maternal mortality and morbidity rates.”
Maternal Death Rates
About 14 U.S. mothers for each 100,000 live births die each year due to pregnancy or delivery complications. Most high income countries have low maternal death rates, and those rates have declined over the last 25 years. In the United States however, the trend is opposite, with a 16.7% rate increase between 1990 and 2015.
South Carolina Maternal Death Rates
According to MUSC, the rates are even worse in South Carolina, at about 24 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Hopefully, help is on the way:
In August of 2019, the Joint Commission (founded in 1951 to improve healthcare for the public and accredits 80% of U.S. hospitals), announced it “has introduced two new standards, effective July 1, 2020, to address complications in the areas of maternal hemorrhage and severe hypertension/preeclampsia.”
In 2016, South Carolina lawmakers established the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee to investigate pregnancy-related deaths. This committee has found that 54% of pregnancy-related deaths in South Carolina are preventable with proper treatment.
Contact Preeclampsia Lawyer David L. Hood for a Free Medical Malpractice Consultation
If you or someone you care about has suffered because of medical negligence, please schedule your free consultation by calling the Law Offices of David L. Hood at (843) 491-6025 or filling out our brief online contact form.
We know how difficult it can be to deal with the immediate and long-term effects of a serious malpractice-related injury. At The Law Offices of David L. Hood, we work hard to make things simple for you. After a free case evaluation, if we believe we can help you and your family, Medical Malpractice Attorney David L. Hood, co-counsel, and our team of experts will vigorously pursue your case to get you the best result we can achieve. Let us put our years of experience to work for you!
