The idea that there might be active layers of mold in the hospital sheets and blankets covering up sick and wounded patients is absolutely cringe-worthy.
Unfortunately, that was the reality for at least six patients who died as a result of hospital negligence that allowed mold-infected linens to be used in three Pennsylvania hospitals. All three hospitals, including two University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers and Shadyside Hospital, used the same linen company.
We recently discussed shoulder dystocia and why proper management of it are vital during labor and delivery. This is only one of the possible risks a woman in labor might have to face. Some people say that a woman is never closer to death than when she is giving birth. With that in mind, you can easily understand why medical professionals have to take steps that could help to keep the woman and her unborn baby away from death's door.
When you go into the hospital to have a baby, you fully expect to come home with a snuggly baby who is as perfect as can be in every way. Some women are aware ahead of time that their baby might have a birth defect or medical condition, but even these women don't expect the labor and delivery personnel to make the situation worse.
When a woman goes into labor, there are a number of unknowns that she has to deal with. For some women, learning that their bundle of joy might not be able to fit in the birth canal adds a layer of uncertainty to the labor.
Shoulder dystocia is a possible issue that some women will face. In this case, the baby's shoulders can't fit through the birth canal as easily as they should under normal conditions. This can be a life-threatening situation in some births.
Labor and delivery are stressful times for many women. Even pregnant women who plan for this time might find the uncertainty troublesome. Most women who are pregnant lean on the medical professionals involved in their care for information about the decisions they need to make. When the medical professionals don't provide necessary information, the woman might not be able to make informed decisions.
We know that you always hoped that your labor and delivery would be peaceful and go as planned. When this doesn't happen, you might feel that you missed out on something. This can be a difficult position to be in. You have to deal with healing from the process and you may have to learn how to care for a child who has medical issues you weren't expecting.
If your baby is born prematurely or with medical concerns, you have likely heard of respiratory syncytial virus. This serious illness is one that demands proper care. In some cases, it can be fatal. For the parents who have to deal with a positive RSV test, getting the care they need for their child is a priority. This can mean spending time in the hospital.
Because the symptoms of RSV mimic those of the common cold, babies who are likely to suffer from the virus need to have a nasal swab done to confirm the virus. This can help doctors differentiate between the common cold and RSV.
Pregnancy complications can sometimes creep, even when the woman is otherwise healthy. Once these complications are present, proper management is vital to help the mother and her unborn baby remain as safe as possible. In our previous blog post, we discussed gestational diabetes and how this diagnosis can sometimes lead to unnecessary interventions. This shows that there are two extremes that pregnant women might have to contend with when they have complications with their pregnancy.
On the one hand, it is important that the complications are managed in an acceptable manner so the woman and baby don't suffer undue harm. On the other hand, it is important that medical professionals don't overtreat the woman and her baby since overtreating might also lead to harm.
A pregnant woman has a lot of things to think about when it comes to labor and delivery. If she has a medical condition that is affecting her pregnancy, she has to factor that condition into her birth plans. For a woman with gestational diabetes, the need might to balance a normal birth with unwanted interventions might occur because doctors sometimes take a risk-based approach to these pregnancies.
Gestational diabetes does pose some risks to pregnant women and the baby, especially if it is uncontrolled. Premature labor and delivery, a baby that is larger than average and a baby born with immature lungs are some of these complications. But, just because these issues are possible doesn't mean that they will occur in every pregnancy in which gestational diabetes is a factor.
In our previous blog post, we discussed some facts about brain injuries. These facts are important because they help us to understand the scope of the issues that can occur when a person suffers a brain injury. While a brain injury is always something that is hard to cope with, the difficulties might seem increased when your child is the one who has suffered a brain injury.
We know that it is difficult to think that your perfect baby might not get to live a normal life simply because of a medical error. If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, you might want to do something about it. Unfortunately, there isn't a known way to reverse the effects of this condition. Instead, you have to focus on giving your child the tools that can help him or her to live a full and happy life.
Traumatic brain injury is often thought of as being a concussion and other conditions related to concussions. While the concussion is the most common type of TBI, it is far from the only one. Diffuse axonal injuries, penetrating injuries and contusions are some of the other forms of TBI that people can suffer from.
Diffuse axonal injuries are those that involve a tearing of the tissues in the brain. This is commonly associated with shaken baby syndrome, but can also occur when the head is shaken violently, such as in a motor vehicle accident.
A woman who goes into the hospital thinking that she is in labor expects that she and her child will be cared for properly while she is there. This includes monitoring the fetal heart rate. This is very important because there are signals that might be present in the heart rate that would let doctors know that the baby is in distress and must be delivered right away.
There are two ways that hospitals can monitor the baby's heart rate. One of these is by hooking the woman up to a monitor that will keep track of the baby's heart rate on a continual basis. The other is that the woman might be monitored periodically. While some doctors prefer the continual monitoring, some women don't like being hooked to a monitor. Balancing the woman's wishes with the needs of the unborn baby can be difficult; however, most mothers will opt to put their baby's needs first and just deal with the monitors if there is a medical necessity.
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