Negligent Stitching After Episiotomy
During a vaginal birth, you may need to have an episiotomy in order to help the delivery of your baby. Afterwards it must be properly repaired by a qualified midwife or doctor who will suture the wound together with dissolvable stitches. However, if this repair is poorly performed and the stitches are not properly aligned, there could be a case of medical negligence.
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How should an episiotomy be repaired?
An episiotomy is when a midwife or doctor deliberately cuts the perineum to aid the delivery of a baby. Once the child is safely born and the afterbirth has also been delivered, the medical team should begin to carry out a repair to the mother's perineum. Appropriate pain relief must be given before a vaginal and rectal examination is performed. This will establish the full extent of the injury and ensure no damage has been sustained by the anal sphincter.
If medical staff are happy that a third or fourth degree tear has not occurred, a repair of the episiotomy can go ahead in the delivery room. (If a third or fourth degree tear is present, a consultant should be asked to repair the wound in theatre). A doctor or a midwife with the necessary skill and expertise will use dissolvable stitches to suture the wound together. While doing so it is important that the perineal skin is properly aligned, as this will ensure firstly that the entire injury is addressed, and secondly that a woman is not left with a deformed perineum. After the repair another examination should be performed to ensure the laceration is adequately sutured.
Claiming for negligent stitching
However, there are sadly times when medical professionals display a poor suturing technique during an episiotomy repair. This will soon lead to a number of problems for a new mother. For example, if the wound is not correctly anatomically aligned during the stitching process, a woman will be left with a defective perineum. This will lead to a number of complications, including long-term pain and dyspareunia (pain during sexual intercourse). It is also possible that a poor stitching technique will leave a pocket of skin unrepaired, causing recurrent wound infections. If such issues do arise, it will be necessary for a woman to undergo further medical treatment to correct the injury. This will differ depending upon the severity of damage, but will usually involve a Fenton's procedure, whereby scar tissue around the perineum is removed.
If you or a loved one has been adversely affected because of a poorly repaired episiotomy, you could be entitled to make a claim for negligence stitching. This means you will be able to pursue legal action against the hospital in question and, if you are successful, obtain compensation for the pain and suffering you have been caused. For more information, you need to talk to a medical negligence solicitor as soon as possible.
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