Claims arising from pregnancy and childbirth have consistently formed the largest proportion of cases brought against the medical profession. A selection of recent cases shows the importance of good record-keeping when considering medical decisions taken in extremis.
In Martin v Norfolk and Norwich Healthcare NHS Trust 1 the Claimant, who was born in 1989, suffered dystonic cerebral palsy resulting from acute asphyxia within the half hour before birth. The asphyxia had been caused by a placental abruption, namely a breaking away of parts of the placenta from the uterine wall, thereby reducing foetal blood supply. The claimant alleged that the midwives had negligently failed to detect or respond to the abruption or its warning signs, and that an earlier caesarean section would have avoided injury.
