Some preventable birth injuries are the result of medical professionals failing to intervene promptly when something goes wrong during labor. Ignoring the warning signs of fetal distress or failing to monitor the unborn child can lead to preventable and tragic outcomes.
Other birth injuries may be the result of unnecessary interventions. Physicians may seek to accelerate the assessment and dilation of the cervix or speed up contractions instead of respecting the natural progression of labor. Their actions may then trigger a cascade of interventions because they disrupt the normal labor process.
Things can go wrong when administering drugs or using devices to assist with birth. Especially when physicians choose to use medications not approved for use in pregnant or laboring women, the risk of poor outcomes may be higher than normal. In some cases, a physician’s medication choices during labor could constitute malpractice.
Not all off-label prescribing is safe
There is a general presumption that a medication approved for one use is generally safe for other reasonable medical applications. However, physicians still need to identify any potential contraindications and abide by best practices when prescribing a drug for an unapproved purpose.
Only a small percentage of medications have approval for use during labor and delivery. Cytotec, the brand name of the generic drug misoprostol, is not safe for use during labor and delivery. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the drug for certain purposes, but not for any use during or immediately after labor and delivery.
Cytotec has a known association with uterine rupture and other catastrophic birth injuries. Women may hemorrhage if they receive this drug during labor. They are at risk of dangerous levels of blood loss. The trauma of uterine rupture can also render them permanently infertile.
The worst-case scenario of Cytotec/misoprostol administration during labor gone wrong could lead to the death of the mother and her child. Women recovering after hemorrhages, families grieving preventable deaths and those left infertile due to inappropriate medical interventions could potentially have grounds for medical malpractice lawsuits.
Physicians who do not follow best practices are potentially responsible if their decisions lead to poor outcomes for their patients. Off-label prescribing of potentially dangerous drugs is one of many forms of malpractice that could lead to preventable and severe birth injuries that forever change a family’s circumstances.