Daniel E. Holloway
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Emory Decatur Hospital complaint alleges delayed emergency C-section after fetal distress

The complaint alleges that a high-risk labor induction at Emory Decatur Hospital involved preeclampsia, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, fetal heart-rate decelerations, and later loss of fetal heartbeat. Staff delayed calling for emergency assistance after the fetal heartbeat was lost, the attending midwife was absent from the room during active labor, and the infant was delivered by emergency C-section but suffered severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and died one week later.

System
Emory Healthcare
Facility
Emory Decatur Hospital
Providers involved
Emory Decatur Hospital / The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, Inc. / Certified nurse midwife
Pattern
Alleged failure to respond to fetal distress and meconium-stained fluid during high-risk labor induction
Harm
Alleged hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, irreversible brain damage, and newborn death one week after delivery

Overview

This page concerns a public complaint alleging that Emory Decatur Hospital providers failed to timely respond to fetal distress during a high-risk labor induction and delayed emergency delivery.

Chronology

The complaint alleges as follows:

  1. The mother was admitted to Emory Decatur Hospital in July 2024 for labor induction due to preeclampsia at 40 weeks gestation.
  2. Labor-induction medications were administered and records allegedly noted that the infant was large and improperly positioned for delivery.
  3. Two days later, staff artificially ruptured the amniotic sac and observed meconium-stained fluid.
  4. The next day, the midwife left the room during active pushing while the mother was fully dilated.
  5. A nurse observed rapid fetal heart-rate decelerations and the midwife returned after the fetal heartbeat was lost.
  6. An emergency code was called after an alleged delay spent attempting to use a fetal scalp electrode.
  7. The infant was delivered by emergency C-section, required immediate resuscitation, suffered irreversible brain damage, and died on August 1, 2024.

Alleged failures

The complaint alleges the following failures:

  • Providers failed to continuously monitor the infant for fetal distress during a high-risk labor induction.
  • Providers failed to perform a C-section when meconium was first detected.
  • The complaint alleges that the midwife deviated from the standard of care by leaving the room during active pushing.
  • There was an unacceptable delay between the loss of fetal heartbeat and the emergency-delivery call.
  • The attending physician was unaware of critical clinical signs until after delivery.

Entities and tags

Emory Decatur HospitalThe Southeast Permanente Medical Group, Inc.PreeclampsiaMeconium-stained amniotic fluidEmergency C-sectionHypoxic ischemic encephalopathyFetal heart-rate decelerationsFetal scalp electrodeFailure to monitorBirth injuryDelayed treatmentWrongful deathObstetricsLabor and deliveryNeonatologyMidwifery