Verdicts & Settlements: Labor-Induction Injuries: Pitocin and Cytotec
Pitocin and Cytotec, two drugs used to induce or hasten labor in women struggling with delivery, may result in severe injuries when used incorrectly. In this section, we’ll explain a couple past settlements and verdicts achieved by Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys surrounding cases of Pitocin and Cytotec misuse. To learn more about the uses, dangers, and risk factors associated with these medications, please visit our Cerebral Palsy from Labor-Induction Injuries: Pitocin and Cytotec page here. Our birth injury lawyers urge you to reach out with any questions, worries, or case inquiries you may have—to speak to our expert birth trauma lawyers, please call Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys toll-free at (888) 592-1857 or fill out our online form here.
1. Child Wins $4.75 Million
The Misuse of Pitocin and a Delayed C-Section Lead to Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) with Resultant Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Delays
In this case, the birth injury lawyers from Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys secured $4.75 million for a child born with brain damage, cerebral palsy, and developmental delays. Throughout the duration of the mother’s labor and delivery, medical professionals failed to accurately monitor heart tracings from the mother and the baby. When the mother first arrived at the hospital expressing signs of labor, she was sent home. A few hours passed when the mother returned to the hospital, and physicians and residents induced labor through the use of Pitocin. The medical team continued with a vaginal delivery even though the baby’s heart rate remained non-reassuring and the umbilical cord was compressed, limiting the flow of oxygenated blood. When she was born, the baby had suffered seizures and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and she was diagnosed with permanent brain damage, cerebral palsy, and severe developmental delays.
2. Child Wins $3.75 Million
Overuse of Cytotec and Failure to Perform an Emergency C-Section Lead to HIE, Intracranial Hemorrhages, and Seizures with Resultant Cerebral Palsy, Cognitive Impairments, and Developmental Delays
In this case, medical professionals administered Cytotec (misoprostol; prostaglandin E1) to induce labor in a mother who had been experiencing symptoms of decreased fetal movement. Both the mother and fetus reacted poorly to the Cytotec dose—the baby exhibited abnormal heart tracings and suffered hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), seizures, and intracranial hemorrhages (brain bleeds) after birth. The child was left with cognitive impairments, developmental delays, and cerebral palsy. After this case was turned down by another law firm, the birth injury lawyers at Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys took it on and found that medical professionals over-administered the Cytotec when they should have performed a C-section.
3. Child Wins $1.825 Million
Improper Use of Drugs, Birth Trauma, and Fetal Oxygen Deprivation Leads to Brain Bleeding and Seizures After Birth
In this case, the baby’s heart rate dropped in early labor due to the overuse of Pitocin, causing a neonatal oxygen deprivation injury. The overuse of this drug further meant that contractions occurred too quickly, even further limiting the amount of oxygen the child received. The child was found to have low blood flow to the brain, seizures, and brain bleeding, along with signs of a condition known as CPD (cephalopelvic disproportion), where the baby’s head was far too large to fit through the pelvic opening. The child now suffers from developmental and cognitive delays.