In this episode, John Maher speaks with Christopher Mellino, founding attorney of the Mellino Law Firm, about Pitocin malpractice lawsuits. Chris explains how Pitocin, a high-risk drug used to induce labor or strengthen contractions, can lead to serious complications such as uterine rupture and fetal distress if not properly monitored. He discusses common malpractice allegations related to Pitocin misuse, including improper dosing and failure to recognize signs of distress in the mother or baby. Chris also covers what plaintiffs must prove in a Pitocin malpractice case and how women can protect themselves from potential complications by being informed and aware during labor. Finally, he emphasizes the importance of recovering damages to ensure lifelong care for affected children.
John Maher: Hi, I am John Maher and I’m here today with Christopher Mellino, founding attorney of the Mellino Law Firm, a personal injury law firm in Cleveland, Ohio, with a focus on medical malpractice. Chris has over 40 years of experience in handling medical malpractice cases and has been involved in several landmark cases in Ohio and has received verdicts against every hospital system in Cleveland. Welcome, Chris.
Christopher Mellino: Hi, John. Thanks for having me today.
How Does the Use of Pitocin Increase the Risk of Complications During Childbirth?
Maher: Sure. Yeah. So, Chris, today we’re talking about Pitocin malpractice lawsuits. How does the use of Pitocin increase the risk of complications during childbirth?
Mellino: Well, Pitocin is a drug that’s given to increase the strength and the frequency of a mom’s contractions during labor, and it’s a pretty powerful drug. I mean, it’s listed by the FDA as a high-risk drug because it does have, that it can really strengthen the mom’s contractions.
Maher: And it’s basically used to induce labor. Is that right?
Mellino: There’s actually two uses. One is to induce labor. So, if the mom’s overdue or pass her due date, or the baby’s getting large and they’re afraid that mom might have trouble delivering because of the size of the baby, they’ll use Pitocin to actually start contractions. But a lot of times, it’s used as well if labor’s been going on for a few hours and the contractions aren’t getting stronger or closer together, then we use Pitocin to kind of move labor along.
What are the Issues with Regular Use of Pitocin?
Maher: So, is Pitocin used very regularly, and what are the issues with it when it’s used regularly?
Mellino: Yeah, it’s actually pretty commonly given, and there’s a couple of issues with it. Is most of it relate to the training of the nurses involved in the labor because when you give Pitocin, because it is a high-risk drug, it requires more frequent monitoring of both the contractions, mom’s contractions, and the baby’s contractions. So, in most labors nowadays, moms put on an electronic fetal heart rate monitor, which would give a readout of both the baby’s heart rate and mom’s contractions.
And so the nurse has to, first of all, see how frequent the contractions are because the dose of Pitocin is too high, the contractions will either be too strong, which will show up on the monitor, or they’ll be too close together so mom and the baby don’t get a chance to rest in between the contractions, and then also has to monitor what the baby’s heart rate is in relation to those contractions. So, if the contractions are too strong, could cause the baby’s heart rate to drop, or if the baby’s not getting enough rest between contractions, that can also cause the baby’s heart rate to drop.
Most Common Allegations of Malpractice in Pitocin Cases
Maher: Okay. So, what are the most common allegations of malpractice in Pitocin cases?
Mellino: Well, a big one is uterine rupture. If too much Pitocin is given, it can actually cause the uterus to rupture, which is an obstetrical emergency. And if the baby isn’t delivered quick enough after the uterine rupture, the baby could die, or it could also cause the mom to die. So, those are the two biggest things. But again, as I said earlier, the baby can have distress from the contractions being too strong or too close together, and that can also be a source of malpractice and that the fetal distress isn’t recognized and either that Pitocin stopped or if distress is too far along, that also would require an emergency C-section.
What Does the Plaintiff Need to Prove in a Pitocin Malpractice Case?
Maher: Okay. So, what are some of the typical things that a plaintiff has to prove in a Pitocin malpractice case?
Mellino: Well, the biggest thing is the dosing. The dose can only be increased every 30 minutes. So, if they’re increasing the dose in shorter interval than that, that’s a problem. Also, as with a lot of drugs, there’s a little bit of a lead time between when you give the drug and when the effects actually show up. So, if the nurse is giving the Pitocin without really monitoring what effect it’s having on the contractions, and sometimes the nurses just kind of automatically increase the dose every 30 minutes, just, again, to speed the labor along, without really paying attention to what kind of effect it’s having on the contractions, you can get really strong contractions, which can lead to either the baby being in distress or uterine rupture.
How Can Women Protect Themselves from Pitocin-Related Complications?
Maher: And then how can women protect themselves from Pitocin-related complications? What kind of control does a woman have when she’s already there in the operating room giving birth?
Mellino: Right. Well, I mean, it does require informed consent to give Pitocin. So, she should know when she’s being put on Pitocin, it requires a doctor’s order. So, she just should discuss why Pitocin is being given, what the dosage is being given, what kind of monitoring is going to be done once the Pitocin is started. Obviously, if she’s not on a fetal heart rate monitor at the time, then she should make sure that they’re going to use electronic fetal heart rate monitoring while she’s on Pitocin. And then just herself, if she feels the contractions are getting too strong or too close together, discuss that with the nurse or the doctor.
Do Most Women Giving Birth Understand the Dangers of Pitocin?
Maher: Do you think that most women who are giving birth understand what the dangers of Pitocin are? And if not, is that explained to a mother at the hospital? And if it’s not explained, is that part of the problem here with these malpractice types of law suits?
Mellino: Yeah, I think that’s a big part of the problem. I don’t think it’s explained, and I don’t think most pregnant mothers know about Pitocin and what the dangers are. I would think most people, if you told them, hey, the FDA has listed this as a high-risk drug, they would probably say, well, you know what, I probably don’t need it. Or let’s keep going and see if we can deliver naturally or on our own. So, yeah, I think that is a big part of the problem. And I also think that in addition to, like I said, the nurses not being trained as to how to properly use it.
Potential Outcomes of a Pitocin Malpractice Lawsuit
Maher: So, what are the potential outcomes of a Pitocin malpractice lawsuit? If you do feel like there’s been a problem, there’s been malpractice that has happened and you’re now going after those doctors or that hospital system, what’s the outcome?
Mellino: In terms of outcome of the lawsuit are you asking?
Maher: Yeah.
Mellino: Yeah. Well, I mean, so it depends on the injuries. If there’s been an injury to the baby from not getting enough oxygen during the labor and delivery and is born with issues that will probably be lifelong, then the most important outcome would be to make sure that there’s enough money recovered to account for whatever care the child will need for the rest of his or her life.
Maher: All right, well, that’s really good information, Chris. Thanks again for speaking with me today.
Mellino: Thanks again.
Information About Mellino Law Firm
Maher: And for more information, you can visit the Mellino Law Firm website at mellinolaw.com or call (440) 333-3800.