Here's a recent report on a verdict for a family from Easton, PA. Chloe McCarthy who is now 4, suffers from lifelong cerebral palsy and neurological injuries. She must endure these because a jury has spoken, holding that Dr. Garry C. Karounos' failure to perform a cesarean section and continuing with a natural delivery after Erin McCarthy's labor stalled in August 2009.
Equally tragic? Because of this negligence , Erin McCarthy also was badly injured during the delivery of Chloe. Chloe still has weakness on her left side as well as cognitive and expressive speech delays. Chloe is currently undergoing treatment including occupational therapy,
physical therapy, speech therapy and is enrolled in a special education
program. The impact of her delivery on the remainder of her life remains
unknown.
The young mother, Erin McCarthy, underwent a vaginal delivery of her
daughter despite her voicing concerns that the child was abnormally
large. Before delivery, she underwent a sonogram that predicted a 10-pound baby four days
before the delivery. The resulting 16-hour labor and delivery of her
daughter Chloe nearly killed the infant and left the mother with a
vaginal tear that extended through her anal sphincter. Chloe had no
heartbeat, wasn't breathing or moving and was blue after a traumatic
delivery. The child required immediate lifesaving resuscitation in the
delivery room and was later transferred to Thomas Jefferson Hospital for
emergency head cooling treatment.
According to family lawyers, Dr. Garry C. Karounos did not offer to perform a Caesarian section at
any time during McCarthy's labor. He disregarded warning signs
that the baby was suffering from shoulder dystocia, a condition in which
her shoulder was trapped behind the mother's pubic bone. Karounos
instead used forceps to try to deliver the baby. The result was severe
injury to both mother and daughter.
Lehigh Valley Health Network was not named as a defendant in the suit. A
spokesman for the network said Karounos no longer practices at LVHN.
