Vaginal Childbirth Perineal Tears and When to Claim Compensation
Severe perineal tears may justify a claim for compensation if maternity professionals have not provided competent medical care.
Severe vaginal childbirth tears
The pressure placed on the vagina and perineum during vaginal childbirth puts the new mother at risk of a severe perineal tear. This is especially the case for first-time mothers, women who have needed an instrumental delivery, women givng birth to a large baby and women of Asian ethnicity.
Due to this risk, which can cause long-term, debilitating symptoms, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, in their guidelines to perineal tear care, recommend that all women who have undergone vaginal childbirth should receive a thorough examination which should include a digital rectal examination. The purpose of this is to ensure that, has a severe tear occurred, the full extent of the injury is identified. This should further ensure that a surgical repair of the injury, by a suitably experienced surgeon, takes place.
Negligence and severe tears
Unfortunately, negligent maternity care occasionally leaves a new mother struggling with a severe tear affecting her anal sphincter and reducing her capacity to control her passing of both wind and faeces.
The following failings may be regarded as negligent and, if the new mother suffers debilitating symptoms, may justify a claim for compensation.
- A failure to carry out an episiotomy prior to an instrumental delivery
- A failure to examine a new mother including a digital rectal examination
- A misdiagnosis of damage to the anal sphincter
- A failure to carry out a comprehensive and effective repair of an injury
When to claim compensation
It is important to bear in mind that compensation claims for medical negligence are associated with a deadline of three years from the date of the alleged negligence. Prior to this deadline, by which a claim must be issued with a court, it is necessary for a specialist solicitor to carry out a thorough investigation of the woman's medical care and the impact of any negligence which has occurred.
Consequently, if you suspect that you have been the victim of negligent care, it is important that you contact a legal specialist at the earliest possible moment. Compensation claims for medical negligence are complex processes and require plenty of time for a comprehensive analysis of events and their consequences.
Medico-legal specialists
Glynns Solicitors is a specialist medical negligence legal practice with extensive experience of high-value birth tear claims.
Contact us today to speak with a solicitor if you are considering whether or not to make a claim.
Please call us on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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