Medication errors during pregnancy can present risks for a variety of types of birth injuries. These errors can take many different forms; and, while they are 100% preventable, they happen far more often than they should.
If your baby has been diagnosed with a birth injury linked to a medication error, your family has clear legal rights. Among them, you have the right to hold your family’s healthcare provider accountable, and you have the right to seek the financial resources your family will need to cope with your child’s diagnosis long-term.
At Coplan + Crane, we understand how overwhelming it can be to learn that a medication error may have harmed your baby. Families come to us looking for clear answers and honest guidance. Our role is to take a close look at what went wrong, explain your options in plain terms, and help you decide what steps make sense for your family moving forward.
What types of medication errors during pregnancy can cause birth injuries? The following medication errors (among others) can all potentially provide new parents with grounds to file claims for medical malpractice:
Several medications are known to present risks for birth defects, and prescribing these medications during pregnancy can potentially have irreversible consequences. Medications that have been linked to risks for birth defects include antibiotics, antidepressants, and cancer medications, among many others. If your doctor prescribed a dangerous medication despite knowing about your pregnancy (or your attempts to become pregnant), your family may be entitled to financial compensation.
Administering a medication other than the one prescribed can present serious risks as well. This mistake can result from a variety of factors, including misreading a doctor’s handwriting or selecting a “sound-alike” drug instead of the drug that was prescribed. Other mistakes, such as diagnostic errors, can also lead to healthcare providers prescribing and administering medications that are both unsafe and unnecessary.
Overdosing can present serious (and, in some cases, life-threatening) risks for both the expecting mother and the fetus. Underdosing can present serious risks as well. Despite the controls that hospitals and other healthcare facilities have in place, dosage errors remain alarmingly common. This includes both dosage errors when prescribing medications and dosage errors when administering medications during inpatient care.
While off-label use of prescription medications can be appropriate in some cases, it can be extremely dangerous in others. Certain drugs that are commonly prescribed off-label during pregnancy are also known to present risks for various types of birth injuries. If your doctor prescribed a drug off-label and you believe that this may be the reason for your baby’s birth injury diagnosis, you should consult with an experienced birth injury lawyer promptly.
Anesthesia errors, including epidural errors, can also present risks for various types of birth injuries. Common errors include overdosing, underdosing, and improper administration. As with all of the medication errors during pregnancy discussed above, prompt intervention can be critical for protecting both the mother and the fetus. Tragically, in many cases, healthcare providers fail to acknowledge their mistakes until it is too late.
These medication errors (among others) can have a variety of serious and life-altering consequences. While the specific risks associated with any particular medication error depend on the nature of the error and the specific medication involved, birth injuries that can result from medication errors during pregnancy include:
Even these are just examples. Regardless of your baby’s diagnosis, if you have concerns about a medication error during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, you should talk to a lawyer about your family’s legal rights. It costs nothing to find out if your family has a claim; and, if your family does have a claim, hiring an experienced lawyer will be the first step toward seeking the financial compensation your family deserves.
As with all types of medical malpractice cases, strict deadlines and other legal requirements apply to cases involving birth injuries. With this in mind, if you have questions about your family’s legal rights, we strongly encourage you to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.
A birth injury diagnosis can raise difficult questions about what happened and whether it could have been prevented. If you suspect a medication error occurred during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, speaking with a lawyer can help you understand your rights and what options may be available to your family under Illinois law.
Contact Coplan + Crane today online or at (312) 982-0588 for a FREE case evaluation. Our experienced birth injury lawyers proudly serve clients across Illinois, including Chicago, Oak Park, Rockford, and other areas.
