Medical Malpractice: Gestational Diabetes

What Is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, referred to gestational diabetes or GDM, is disorder of the sugar metabolism that occurs in women during pregnancy. This form of diabetes often shows up in patients who have no signs or symptoms of diabetes before their pregnancy, and a recent study shows that 18% of pregnancies are affected by gestational diabetes.

Unlike normal diabetes, gestational diabetes has a direct effect on the pregnancy, labor and delivery of the child. Gestational diabetes leads to macrosomia, which is a larger child. Delivering a larger child can not only lead to a more difficult labor and delivery, it can also result in a brachial plexus injury or shoulder dystocia. The excessive weight of the larger children common in pregnancies involving gestational diabetes also results in high rates of cesarean deliveries.

The Responsibility of Medical Professionals

Pregnant women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes must be monitored more carefully during the pregnancy. The babies that are born to mothers with gestational diabetes have a greater risk for hypoglycemia or hyperinsulinemia (high blood insulin). Because any woman can get gestational diabetes, doctors must be careful to not assume without first conducting proper assessment and testing. A study in 2005 discovered that 47% of women who have gestational diabetes would not have been diagnosed if they were screened only based on risk factors.

Doctors and other healthcare professionals have a responsibility to evaluate, test and correctly diagnose their patients. A failure to conduct the proper tests and a misdiagnosis of gestational diabetes may be grounds for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. Women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes sometimes use diet and other measures to control their diabetes, but this cannot happen until an accurate diagnosis takes place.

Additionally, a malpractice lawsuit may be filed when a doctor fails to properly treat a patient with gestational diabetes. Pregnant women who are diagnosed with this condition must be continually monitored to ensure that their glucose levels are under control and that the child is growing at the appropriate rate. In some cases, insulin shots will be necessary to keep the diabetes under control, so long as the shots do not interfere with the pregnancy.

Help From an Atlanta Medical Malpractice Attorney

It is no surprise that gestational diabetes is challenging and may lead to a tougher pregnancy. With the proper treatment and care, however, this condition can be managed in such a way that the baby and the mother are ultimately unharmed. If you or someone you know has suffered because of the misdiagnosis or mistreatment of gestational diabetes, it is important to seek help and counsel from an Atlanta Medical Malpractice Lawyer who has experience dealing with the healthcare industry.

Here at The Tolson Firm, LLC, we have successfully litigated countless cases on the behalf of those who are injured because of medical malpractice. Our legal team consists of some of the top trial lawyers in the state, and we are proud of superior legal services that we offer to injury victims and their families. To learn more about malpractice cases involving gestational diabetes and if you have the option of filing a malpractice claim, call an Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer at our firm today.

Our lead attorney, Ms. Tolson, was named as one of the Top 100 Female Lawyers in the State of Georgia and as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Georgia from 2007-2011 by The National Trial Lawyers. We understand what you are going through and we are prepared to seek justice and maximum compensation for you.

Contact us today for a consultation. Let us help you navigate your legal options and secure the best possible outcome for your case. Your health and well-being are our top priorities.