Fetal Meconium Aspiration Can Be Fatal

 Posted on February 13, 2025 in Medical Malpractice

In the womb, unborn babies float in amniotic fluid. This fluid contains nutrients, helps the fetus’s lungs develop, assists with temperature regulation, and cushions the baby to protect against injury. Although fetuses urinate in the womb, they usually do not defecate. Meconium, a baby’s first stool, usually passes in a bowel movement within a few hours of birth. However, some fetuses do pass meconium into the amniotic fluid before birth.

When a baby inhales a mixture of amniotic fluid and meconium, whether before birth or during labor and delivery, meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) can occur. Physicians should be aware of this possibility and be prepared to administer various treatments for the condition. When MAS is not diagnosed or properly treated, the infant can suffer long-term or permanent harm; it can even be fatal. Proving that medical negligence caused your baby’s MAS can be challenging, but you could receive much-deserved compensation for multiple damages. You need an experienced Rockford, IL birth injury lawyer with focused knowledge about MAS to help you get optimal results.

Is Meconium Aspiration Syndrome Common?

Approximately 5 to 10 percent of babies become ill or die due to MAS. Known risk factors include delivery past the expected due date, fetal distress, abnormal heart rate, and infections. Induced or prolonged labor and C-section deliveries, along with certain maternal conditions like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, also increase the chance of a newborn developing MAS.

Most promptly treated cases of MAS are relatively minor, with newborns usually recovering within a few days of birth. Breathing problems sometimes linger for several days, potentially requiring a breathing machine. However, without proper and prompt medical treatment, infants who have aspirated (inhaled) meconium can suffer from lung problems, asphyxia, brain injuries, and cerebral palsy. In the worst cases, the baby could die.

How Can Doctors Diagnose Meconium Aspiration Syndrome?

Meconium is a dark green, thick substance. If it is present in the amniotic fluid when the mother’s water breaks, it is visible. Other signs to watch for include:

• Slow heart rate before birth

• Decreased oxygen levels, low blood acidity, and increased carbon dioxide in an analysis of a blood gas test

• Abnormal breathing noises

• Limpness

• Lung abnormalities shown on a chest x-ray

• A bluish tint to the baby’s skin

There is no way to prevent a fetus from inhaling meconium, but medical professionals are trained to look for indications of meconium aspiration and be ready to intervene by suctioning the baby’s mouth, throat, and nose as soon as the head emerges. A visual inspection of the baby’s mouth should reveal meconium if the infant has inhaled it. Examining the newborn’s vocal cords using a laryngoscope is another way to diagnose MAS.

How Should Meconium Aspiration Be Treated?

Along with clearing a newborn’s airways immediately, doctors have multiple MAS treatments to choose from. Tapping the newborn’s chest or back can loosen meconium and mucus, allowing it to move out of the child’s lungs. Antibiotics can be used to prevent or treat infections and pneumonia. A breathing machine can ensure the baby’s lungs inflate properly to circulate oxygen.

A warmer, or incubator, can be used to maintain the infant’s temperature. Nitric oxide, when inhaled, can restore oxygen and increase blood flow. Non-invasive surfactant replacement therapy can also produce good results for children born with MAS. For the best results, physicians may combine some of these treatments. Babies may need to spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit until their condition stabilizes.

When Is Meconium Aspiration Syndrome a Result of Medical Negligence?

With various diagnostic tools, standard protocols, and multiple treatment options, physicians should be able to identify MAS, sometimes even before the baby is born. Medical negligence means that a medical professional fails to provide the same level of care as another similarly qualified provider would in the same situation. Examples include:

• Ignoring known risk factors for MAS

• Failing to monitor the baby adequately during labor and delivery

• Failing to identify the presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid

• Failing to perform proper tests if MAS is suspected

• Failing to order the proper treatment

• Misdiagnosing MAS and instead attributing it to another cause

• Delaying the proper treatment

If your medical team was negligent and your newborn sustained birth injuries, you may be entitled to compensation through a medical malpractice claim. If your child died, you could recover various damages through wrongful death and survival actions.

What Damages Are Available in Medical Malpractice and Wrongful Death Claims?

Each case is unique. Although we cannot tell you exactly what your damages may be before we investigate your situation, we can guarantee that we will do all we can to help you collect the maximum amount.

Medical Malpractice

The medical treatments your infant needs to treat MAS and any conditions that result from it are likely to be extremely expensive. Children with cerebral palsy, for example, may need adaptive equipment and life-long medical care. The emotional and mental anguish you experience can be overwhelming. Your damages could include current and future financial losses that directly result from medical negligence. In addition, you may receive compensation for your intangible losses, like pain and suffering.

Wrongful Death and Survival Actions

If your baby died as a result of medical malpractice, there were probably attempts made to save his or her life. Had your child lived, a medical malpractice claim could probably have covered the damages listed above. That claim is also valid if your baby dies from complications related to the MAS, and it could cover the various expenses incurred. In addition, a wrongful death action addresses the losses that you suffered as a parent.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer If My Baby Died From Meconium Aspiration?

The last thing grieving parents need to do is try to battle an insurance company alone. Medical malpractice cases are complex, and many people do not understand how to handle them effectively. You need supporting evidence, and you must understand how to place accurate values on your damages. Then, the liable insurer will likely try to shortchange you.

Rather than attempting to deal with all that yourself, you can trust our attorneys to provide exceptional legal representation. We are well known for our aggressiveness in holding at-fault parties accountable for the harm they caused.

Call Our Dedicated Rockford, IL Meconium Aspiration Lawyers

If your infant died from meconium aspiration syndrome, you deserve justice. Money will not replace your child or eliminate your suffering, but obtaining it from the medical professionals who caused your losses can deliver that justice. Call Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois now at 815-215-7561 to discuss your case with one of our skilled Winnebago County, IL wrongful death attorneys. Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois offers your initial consultation free of charge.