Preeclampsia and Eclampsia: Neglect and Fetal Injury

The journey of pregnancy is filled with anticipation, but it is also a period that requires vigilant and proactive medical oversight. Among the most dangerous complications that can arise are preeclampsia and eclampsia. While these conditions are well-known to the medical community, they remain leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality in the United States.

When healthcare providers fail to recognize the warning signs or neglect to follow established protocols, the result is often a preventable tragedy. At its core, the failure to manage maternal hypertension is not just a medical complication—it is frequently a failure of the system designed to protect the most vulnerable. When a medical team deviates from the accepted standard of care for preeclampsia, they are not just making an error; they are committing maternal and fetal neglect.

Understanding the Progression: From Hypertension to Eclampsia

Preeclampsia is a complex, multisystem disorder that typically develops after the 20th week of pregnancy. It is characterized by the sudden onset of high blood pressure (hypertension) and often involves multi-organ involvement. While many associate the condition solely with blood pressure, it is actually a disease of the vascular system that affects the liver, kidneys, and the brain.

If the condition is mismanaged, it can quickly escalate, leading to a failure to diagnose preeclampsia lawsuit if the oversight results in harm. If not identified and managed aggressively, it can progress to eclampsia. Eclampsia is defined by the onset of tonic-clonic seizures or coma in a woman who has no prior history of a seizure disorder. This progression represents a catastrophic failure of medical management. When a mother reaches the stage of eclampsia, the risk of permanent brain damage or death for both mother and child increases exponentially.

In many cases, these seizures occur because a medical team failed to administer prophylactic treatments like magnesium sulfate or failed to trigger an early delivery. Understanding the signs of eclampsia in labor is critical for any medical team to prevent a lifetime of disability for the infant.

The “Silent” Red Flags

Medical professionals—including obstetricians, midwives, and labor and delivery nurses—are specifically trained to monitor for indicators that a pregnancy is shifting from “high-risk” to “imminent danger.” Neglect occurs when these symptoms are dismissed as “normal pregnancy discomfort” or “anxiety.”

Key diagnostic indicators include:

Hypertension: A blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher on two separate occasions, or a single reading of 160/110 mmHg.
Proteinuria: The presence of excess protein in the urine, indicating that the kidneys are struggling under the pressure of the condition.
Thrombocytopenia: A dangerously low blood platelet count, which can lead to internal bleeding or newborn brain bleeds.
Impaired Liver Function: Often signaled by severe pain in the upper right abdomen (epigastric pain), which is frequently misdiagnosed as heartburn or indigestion.
Neurological Changes: Persistent, “thunderclap” headaches, blurred vision, or the appearance of dark spots in the visual field (scotoma).

Furthermore, medical teams must watch for HELLP Syndrome (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelet count). The HELLP syndrome complications for baby can be just as severe as those from eclampsia, making it a “hidden” killer that requires immediate laboratory intervention.

The Biological Toll on the Fetus

The fetus is entirely dependent on the integrity of the mother’s cardiovascular health. When maternal blood pressure is dangerously high, the blood vessels within the placenta constrict. This “clamping down” limits the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the baby, effectively starving the fetus of the resources necessary for survival and brain development.

1. Placental Abruption

This is one of the most feared complications of eclampsia and severe preeclampsia. Under the pressure of hypertension, the placenta may prematurely peel away from the wall of the uterus before delivery. This causes massive internal bleeding in the mother and instantly deprives the baby of its oxygen supply. A failure to recognize placental abruption symptoms and causes—such as vaginal bleeding or continuous uterine pain—and the subsequent failure to perform an emergency C-section is a common ground for medical malpractice litigation.

2. Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)

When maternal high blood pressure restricts placental blood flow over hours or days, the baby may suffer from chronic or acute hypoxia (oxygen deprivation). This can lead to HIE, a devastating type of brain injury. HIE from preeclampsia negligence occurs when the fetal brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen-rich blood, leading to the death of brain cells and permanent neurological scarring. If a medical team ignores non-reassuring fetal heart rate patterns in a preeclamptic mother, they are essentially allowing HIE to occur.

3. Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)

Because the placenta is not functioning at full capacity, the baby may not receive the nutrients needed to grow at a healthy rate. Babies born with IUGR are significantly more susceptible to infections, hypoglycemia, and long-term developmental delays. When a doctor fails to order serial ultrasounds for a hypertensive mother, they miss the opportunity to see that the baby is failing to thrive in the womb.

Standards of Care: Where Medical Negligence Begins

In the legal world, medical negligence during pregnancy is defined as a deviation from the established medical protocols. These guidelines exist to ensure that every mother, regardless of her location, receives the same life-saving interventions. What constitutes medical malpractice is often determined by comparing the actions of the healthcare provider to what a reasonable professional would have done under similar circumstances.

Negligence in these cases often takes several specific forms:

Failure to Screen: Doctors must identify patients who are at high risk and start them on preventative measures like low-dose aspirin early in the pregnancy.
Failure to Monitor: Medical staff may fail to order frequent blood pressure checks or 24-hour urine tests when a patient shows early signs of “borderline” hypertension.
Failure to Medicate: The magnesium sulfate for preeclampsia protocol is the “gold standard” for preventing seizures. Failing to start this medication is a direct violation of medical protocols.
Delayed Delivery: The only definitive cure for preeclampsia is delivery. Delayed emergency C-sections when the mother’s health is deteriorating or when the baby is in distress can be a fatal mistake.

The Life-Long Impact of Birth Injuries

When a baby survives a birth injury from maternal neglect, the “recovery” is often a lifelong process. The financial, emotional, and physical toll on a family is immeasurable. The damage done in those few minutes of oxygen deprivation can dictate the next eighty years of a child’s life.

Common outcomes of eclampsia-related negligence include:

Cerebral Palsy: Many families ask, “Can eclampsia cause cerebral palsy?” The answer is yes, when the condition leads to prolonged oxygen deprivation or brain hemorrhaging. Learn more about how medical errors cause cerebral palsy.
Cognitive and Developmental Delays: The long-term effects of fetal hypoxia may require specialized education, speech therapy, and 24-hour nursing care.
Seizure Disorders: Damage to the fetal brain can result in epilepsy that requires heavy medication and limits a child’s independence throughout their life.

Seeking Accountability for Preventable Injuries

No family should have to endure the consequences of medical neglect. When doctors and hospitals prioritize efficiency over patient safety, or when they ignore the cries of a mother in pain, they must be held accountable. Recognizing signs of medical malpractice is the first step for families seeking to understand what went wrong during labor and delivery.

Families facing these challenges may need to consult an eclampsia birth injury lawyer to determine if their child’s condition was preventable. Legal action serves two vital purposes: it provides the necessary financial resources to fund a lifetime of care for an injured child, and it sends a clear message to the medical community that preeclampsia medical malpractice will not be tolerated.

If your child suffered a brain injury or you experienced severe complications due to mismanaged preeclampsia, you have the right to demand an investigation. Knowledge is power, and understanding the medical standards that should have been followed is the first step toward securing justice and a future for your family.

Powless Law Firm, P.C. has over 20 years of experience representing families in complex birth injury and medical malpractice cases. We understand the technical nuances of electronic fetal monitoring and the protocols required for high-risk deliveries. If you believe a preventable medical error harmed you or your baby, you deserve answers and a path to justice. Contact us today for a free, confidential case evaluation.

The Powless Law Firm is an Indiana law firm that represents victims and families statewide in serious cases involving birth injury, medical negligence, personal injury, nursing home neglect, and wrongful death. If you have concerns about nursing home negligence, please contact us at (877) 469-2864. Together, we can make a difference.

The Powless Law Firm represents families across Indiana—from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne and Evansville—in cases involving birth trauma lawsuits, medical malpractice birth injury claims, and cerebral palsy lawsuits. As experienced medical malpractice attorneys in Indiana, we are here to listen to your story and help you find the way forward.

Call (877) 469-2864 now for a free, confidential consultation. There is no fee unless we win your case.