Severe Preeclampsia can cause brain-damage in a matter of hours for mother or baby if doctors fail to act promptly and aggressively. It is one of the most dangerous pregnancy complications because it can progress quickly, sometimes with little to no warning.
Key Takeaways
- Severe Preeclampsia can cause brain-damage when dangerously high blood pressure reduces oxygen to the brain or triggers seizures or stroke.
- Severe preeclampsia is typically diagnosed when blood pressure in the mother reaches 160/110 or higher.
- Early symptoms may include severe headaches, vision changes, swelling, nausea, shortness of breath, and upper abdominal pain.
- In some cases, there may be no warning symptoms other than elevated blood pressure, which makes routine monitoring critical.
- Magnesium sulfate and anti-hypertension medications are standard treatments used to prevent seizures and protect the brain.
- Prompt delivery of the baby, often by emergency C-section, may be necessary to protect both mother and child.
- Delayed diagnosis or failure to treat severe preeclampsia can result in permanent brain injury, cardiac arrest, lifelong disability, or death.
- Families may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim if healthcare providers fail to properly monitor, diagnose, or treat the condition.
Severe Preeclampsia Brain Damage Case in South Carolina
34-year-old Jodie Roberts is just one of many examples of South Carolina’s “sky-high and preventable rate of pregnancies that end in death or serious, long-term medical consequences.” (TheState.com)
Roberts entered the hospital on a Monday 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. These risk factors made careful monitoring essential, because severe preeclampsia can cause brain-damage when warning signs are ignored.
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 said 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.
In situations like this, time matters greatly since severe preeclampsia can cause brain-damage if immediate steps are not taken.
Preeclampsia Statistics
Roberts was suffering from preeclampsia, which is a dangerous condition that affects one in 25 pregnant women. Many families do not realize that without proper treatment severe preeclampsia can cause:
- brain-damage
- stroke
- seizures
- and even death
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). Acting quickly is critical because severe preeclampsia can cause brain-damage, and early intervention can prevent permanent injury.
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. At levels this high, severe preeclampsia can cause brain-damage within a short period of time due to stroke, oxygen deprivation, or seizure activity. 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.” Cases like this are heartbreaking reminders that severe preeclampsia can cause brain-damage and lifelong disability when medical providers fail to respond appropriately.
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 sued 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.
The medical malpractice case settled for $2.1 million.
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 18.6 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 maternal mortal rates were on the increase until 2021, when they finally started decreasing.
South Carolina Maternal Death Rates
The rates are even worse in South Carolina, at about 32.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the most recent data.
Hopefully, help is on the way:
In 2024, the United States “began testing for Placental Growth Factor in pregnant patients. The biomarker, shortened as PlGF, is a key molecule that foretells potential cardiovascular disease in a pregnant woman.” (WSMV.com) This test is up to 96% accurate in predicting severe preeclampsia. This ‘preeclampsia test’ can be used to predict severe preeclampsia between 23 and 35 weeks of pregnancy in women who have symptoms or have already been diagnosed with hypertension. Earlier detection is critical because severe preeclampsia can cause brain-damage, but early diagnosis can help doctors intervene before permanent harm occurs.
A newer first-trimester LabCorp screening (available to all pregnant individuals) can identify early-onset preeclampsia. This blood test is done between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy.
“The rollout of both tests marks the greatest advancement in preeclampsia management since 1897, the year the disease was given its name.” (WSMV.com)
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 contacting The Law Offices of David L. Hood by phone, text, chat, or email.
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 more than 30 years of experience to work for you!
