Pregnancy is supposed to be a time of excitement and happiness, but for some individuals, that has been ruined by the horrific effects of medical negligence.
Pre-eclampsia, a serious condition that can affect some pregnancies, calls for close monitoring, vigilant care and early intervention. The consequences can be life-changing when healthcare providers do not prioritise these basic needs.
This article looks at the risks of pre-eclampsia, the role of antenatal monitoring and how breaches in clinical care might lead to negligence claims.
What is Pre-Eclampsia?
Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure and symptoms of organ damage, usually occurring after the 20th week of pregnancy. This makes early detection critical for protecting both mother and child.
Risk Factors
While pre-eclampsia can happen in any pregnancy, some people are at higher risk for it, such as if it’s their first pregnancy, they have certain existing medical conditions (like hypertension or diabetes), they have a family history of the condition, or they’re pregnant with multiples.
Symptoms
The condition is typically diagnosed with routine screenings, but symptoms can include:
- Elevated blood pressure.
- Has protein in urine (diagnosed through urine tests).
- Swelling of the hands, face, or feet.
- Severe headaches or vision changes.
Such symptoms may be variable, but their presence must always be a matter of alertness during antenatal care.
Why the Pregnancy Care in Antenatal Monitoring Is Important
Safe pregnancies begin with regular antenatal checks. Frequent blood pressure readings, urine samples and blood tests help healthcare providers identify any abnormalities sooner.
A failure to detect and properly respond to pre-eclampsia often leads to medical malpractice, which can include failures like:
- Missing high blood pressure or protein levels.
- Disregarding patient complaints of symptoms, including headaches or swelling.
- Ignoring at-risk patients and ignoring red flags that show where immediate intervention is required.
- This lack of detection can slow the initiation of vital treatments, resulting in preventable complications.
The Risk of Not Monitoring High-Risk Pregnancies
The consequences can be catastrophic when pre-eclampsia isn’t recognised or treated properly.
Maternal and Infant Outcomes
In mothers, extreme pre-eclampsia can lead to eclampsia, a potentially lethal condition characterised by seizures. In babies, decreased blood flow caused by high blood pressure might result in preterm birth, low birth weight or, sadly, stillbirth.
Consequences of Late Intervention
Every moment matters. Neglecting such issues and failing to monitor them at the proper time can lead to needless agony and thus emphasises the significance of regular and early antenatal health checkups to avoid health failures.
When the Onset of Pre-Eclampsia Is Sudden
Although some cases of pre-eclampsia are predictable, and enhanced by risk factors, some surface unannounced. However there are particular challenges with sudden-onset cases, especially when health professionals do not treat a mother’s concerns seriously.
Trusting Maternal Instincts
Pregnant mothers have an intuition and often “just know” when something is amiss. Women presenting with persistent headaches, unusual visual changes or a general sense of malaise need to be taken seriously. Ignoring or belittling these concerns can lead to death.
Law and Medical Negligence
When the health care system fails, families must find a way to hold someone accountable not just for the sake of justice, but so that systemic improvements can be made that will protect future patients.
A Reason to Bring a Medical Negligence Claim
If medical professionals:
Did not detect pre-eclampsia with routine checks or tests.
Symptoms and worries are ignored or dismissed.
Did not give timely attention to an at-risk pregnancy.
How Claims Are Evaluated
To establish a successful claim, you will need to demonstrate that the level of care you received was below what is considered acceptable and that it was the direct cause of your harm.
Available damages could include compensation for emotional anguish, medical bills and lost wages, among other expenses related to continuing care.
Why Not Use a ‘Traffic Light System’ in Maternity Wards
Because something like pre-eclampsia is highly treatable with proper monitoring, a more proactive approach to maternity care could potentially eliminate many cases where a negligent doctor did not take the proper precautions.
Deploying a ‘traffic light system’ for risk assessment would ensure people at risk are prioritised and that cases more likely to need the emergency services receive timely intervention.
How the System Would Work
Green: Routine, low-risk pregnancies needing usual monitoring.
Amber: Higher-risk pregnancies require increased monitoring and quicker response times.
Red: Very High-Risk situations, such as pre-eclampsia, require immediate intervention and are elevated to senior consultants.
Such protocols would help prevent any patient from slipping through the cracks, which would, in turn, improve the outcomes of both mothers and their babies.
The Psychological Impact of Abandonment
Pre-eclampsia isn’t only a medical risk it’s a heavy emotional burden. Many mothers reported feeling dismissed or ignored when they raised concerns, with consequences that cause lasting trauma when things go wrong.
The loss of a child is an unspeakable tragedy, usually leaving the families behind grappling with grief, anger and a longing for answers.
Medical negligence claims help provide not only justice but also closure a mechanism for families to move on from their loss while ensuring systemic shortcomings in care are addressed.
Why Claims For Medical Negligence Are Important
Following through with a claim is more than just getting compensation it’s about making systems accountable. By shining a spotlight on failures, these cases highlight patient safety and stimulate healthcare reforms.
Anyone who has experienced negligence relating to pre-eclampsia, or knows someone who has, is advised to seek expert help from an experienced solicitor to aid you in achieving justice and closure. We are attorneys who are passionate about providing compassionate, personalised legal assistance at Freeman Harris.
