Just Transparency: Jury verdict exposes major cause of increasing maternal deaths
Increasing deaths of mothers following the birth of their child is a major problem in the United States. While much of the rest of the world has decreasing maternal death rates, the U.S. rates have been increasing at an alarming rate.
In his latest Just Transparency post, Jeffrey Catalano writes that this frightening trend demonstrates that part of the problem is that medical providers are not paying enough attention to the mother after delivery. Most concerning, mothers are susceptible to severe internal bleeding and death, but medical providers too often fail to detect the hemorrhaging unil it's too late.
Mr. Catalano notes that a recent $4 million jury verdict he obtained in a medical malpractice case illustrates the problem.
Sadly, a woman after giving birth to her fourth child suffered complications that led to profuse hemorrhaging that an OB/Gyn failed to properly monitor and address until it was too late. The woman lost so much blood that she went into cardiac arrest and died.
Mr. Catalano represented the administrator of the woman's estate. Following a three-week trial and a week of deliberations, the jury found against the OB/Gyn in favor of the family in the amount of $4 million for the mother's conscious pain and suffering.
Mr. Catalano, a partner at the firm, represents victims of catastrophic injuries, including those resulting from medical negligence. He is the immediate Past President of the Massachusetts Bar Association.