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Uterine Rupture Medical Malpractice Attorney

Uterine Rupture Medical Malpractice Attorney

A tear in a mother’s uterus, also known as a uterine rupture, puts both the mother and child in immediate danger. If the delivery room staff does not take prompt action to prevent a uterine rupture or to perform an emergency cesarean section when a uterine rupture occurs, a case of medical malpractice may arise.

At The Lawrence Firm, PSC, we handle a broad range of birth injury cases, including those in which the mother or child has suffered due to a uterine rupture. We take medical negligence cases for clients in and around the regions of our offices in Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. An experienced uterine rupture attorney at The Lawrence Firm is ready to help you explore your legal options and pursue fair compensation for the losses you have suffered.

What is a Uterine Rupture?

A uterine rupture is a serious childbirth complication that can occur in a woman during vaginal delivery. Uterine ruptures occur when the uterus tears open and the baby slips into the mother’s abdominal cavity. A ruptured uterus can be life-threatening, leading to severe blood loss in the mother and the potential suffocation of the unborn child.

Uterine ruptures are very rare, but when they do occur, they tend to occur in women who have had an emergency cesarean section from a previous pregnancy but have chosen a vaginal birth this time around. With each previous cesarean delivery, the chances of a uterine rupture occurring grow higher. It is for this reason that many doctors recommend that pregnant women who have previously undergone a C section avoid vaginal birth. Though a vaginal delivery is certainly possible, these women are at a higher risk and doctors should closely monitor for any signs of a potential uterine rupture.

ceasarean scar - uterine rupture birth injury attorney

Uterine Rupture Signs and Symptoms

There are several complications that might indicate a uterine rupture. Some of the more common signs of uterine rupture include the following:

  • Abnormal fetal heart rate
  • Rapid heart rate in mother
  • Low blood pressure or shock in mother
  • Vaginal bleeding
  • Stomach pain in mother
  • Irregular or excessive contractions
  • Pain between contractions
  • Abnormal abdominal pain
  • Strange bulging beneath pubic bone
  • Sharp pain at the site of a previous uterine scar
  • Labor failing to progress naturally
  • Recession of baby’s head into birth canal
  • Placental abruption
  • Loss of uterine muscle tone

It is incredibly important that medical professionals be diligent in monitoring mother and child for warning signs of uterine rupture, especially if the mother has uterine scarring from a previous emergency C section. Failure to identify a ruptured uterus can lead to severe injury or death to both mother and child, and the responsible labor and delivery doctor should be held legally liable for their medical negligence. If this is the case, be sure to contact the birth injury attorneys at The Lawrence Firm for a free consultation as soon as possible after the incident.

Uterine Rupture Risk Factors

When the uterine wall tears, the fetus may protrude from the uterus or be expelled from it. This puts the child at risk of serious birth injury, often stemming from a lack of oxygen or blood. Oxygen deprivation can lead to birth asphyxia, which in turn can lead to severe brain damage in the child. Such brain damage can further lead to life-altering conditions such as cerebral palsy, hypoxic/ischemic brain injury, or other birth trauma. However, should the baby suffer from a lack of oxygen for too long after the uterine rupture occurs, it will die.

Uterine ruptures are typically a greater risk to the baby, but can be life-threatening to the mother, as well. In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, women who suffer from a ruptured uterus can hemorrhage and suffer major blood loss. Failure to promptly address a uterine rupture hemorrhage can be fatal.

While uterine ruptures can occur during any birth, certain women are at higher risk of suffering these injuries. In addition to vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC) and uterine scars, other risk factors for uterine rupture include carrying a very large baby or multiple fetuses at once.

How Is Uterine Rupture Treated?

In uterine rupture cases, uterine surgery is typically required to remove the baby from the mother’s body as soon as possible. The baby will likely need critical care and ventilation immediately to deliver oxygen back to the brain and increase the chances of survival. If the uterine rupture results in significant blood loss, blood transfusions may be necessary. In more extreme cases, the mother’s uterus may need to be removed completely to stop the bleeding. Once the ruptured uterus is removed, the woman will not be able to become pregnant again.

cesarean section - uterine rupture birth injury attorney

Medical Negligence Lawsuits for Uterine Rupture


It is important to remember that a uterine rupture is a birth injury that is not caused by the negligence of a medical professional, but rather from a preexisting condition. This is one case when malpractice stems from a doctor’s lack of action rather than their actions. Detecting an irregularity and working immediately to fix the problem is an incredibly important aspect of prenatal care and labor and delivery. As such, a uterine rupture medical malpractice lawsuit’s fundamental cause of action is a physician’s failure to notice the rupture in time and failure to perform an emergency C section, and that this delay caused severe injury or death to the mother and/or her baby.

At The Lawrence Firm, PSC, our Covington medical malpractice attorneys thoroughly investigate birth injury cases to determine if obstetricians and other medical staff members were negligent in their duties. We are committed to helping our clients obtain fair and just compensation for medical bills, birth injuries, wrongful death, and other losses suffered due to delivery room malpractice.

If you or a loved one has suffered due to a uterine rupture or another birth injury, our Ohio and Kentucky birth injury lawyers are here to help you pursue compensation for your losses. Contact The Lawrence Firm today via our online intake form or by telephone at 859-578-9130 (Covington office), 513-651-4130 (Cincinnati office), or toll-free at 800-698-4054 to arrange a free consultation.

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We are happy to offer a free consultation to evaluate your case. If you hire us as your legal counsel, we will represent you on a contingency-fee basis. You will pay no attorneys’ fees unless we recover financial damages.