📉 Failure to Monitor Fetal Growth or Development: Legal Consequences and Case Support
🚨 Why Fetal Growth Monitoring Is Critical
Fetal growth and development must be closely monitored throughout pregnancy to ensure the well-being of both the baby and the mother. When physicians overlook or ignore signs of abnormal development, they may miss the opportunity for early intervention or safe delivery, potentially leading to devastating outcomes.
Failing to recognize issues like intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or congenital anomalies can result in:
Stillbirth or neonatal death
Brain injury from oxygen deprivation
Developmental disabilities
Emergency C-section or traumatic birth
Long-term medical needs for the child
When preventable harm occurs due to this negligence, it may constitute medical malpractice.
⚠️ Common Conditions That Should Be Detected Early
1. Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)
Baby measures significantly smaller than the gestational age
Often due to placental insufficiency, maternal health, or infection
Requires frequent ultrasounds and fetal Dopplers
Missed IUGR can result in stillbirth or fetal hypoxia
2. Congenital Abnormalities
Structural or genetic defects, such as heart malformations or neural tube defects
Usually detected by routine anatomy scans or advanced genetic screening
Missed abnormalities may result in a lack of prenatal counseling and unsafe deliveries
3. Amniotic Fluid Abnormalities
Too little (oligohydramnios) or too much (polyhydramnios) fluid can signal growth restriction or placental dysfunction
4. Placental Insufficiency
A major contributor to IUGR, often identified through fetal biometry and Doppler studies
⚖️ Legal Grounds for Medical Malpractice
Physicians are required to adhere to the standard of obstetric care, which includes appropriate prenatal testing, follow-up imaging, and timely referrals to specialists with high-risk expertise.
Medical-legal claims may arise when:
Ultrasounds and fundal height measurements were missed or misinterpreted
Abnormal findings were documented but not acted upon
No referral was made to Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialists
Labor and delivery decisions were delayed despite growth concerns
Attorneys may pursue:
Birth injury lawsuits
Wrongful birth claims
Wrongful death actions (if stillbirth occurred)
🩺 Lexcura Summit: Trusted Medical-Legal Support for OB Cases
At Lexcura Summit, we support law firms and legal teams with timely, HIPAA-compliant medical-legal services that simplify complex cases involving fetal development.
We Deliver:
✅ Medical Chronologies: Visual and written timelines of all OB visits, scans, and missed findings
✅ Narrative Summaries: Expert-written, court-ready summaries outlining negligence
✅ Life Care Plans: Essential for children with lifelong needs due to delayed delivery or developmental harm
✅ Defense & Rebuttal Reports: Clear breakdowns of what should have been done—when and how
All reports are delivered within 7 business days, with rush service available in 2–3 days.
📅 Why Timing Matters in These Cases
Statutes of limitation apply—often 1 to 3 years, depending on your state. However, birth injury cases involving children may have extended filing windows. Regardless, medical records and imaging must be preserved early, before they’re purged.
Attorneys: Work with Lexcura Summit before discovery to identify negligence and begin building a compelling case backed by expert medical insight.
📞 Contact Lexcura Summit for a Complimentary Case Review
Handling a birth injury case involving missed IUGR or undetected fetal abnormalities?
Let our board-certified clinicians and medical-legal experts help you uncover liability and build a strong foundation.
🔗 www.lexcurasummit.com
📞 (352) 703‑0703
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