title: Umbilical cord accidents and legal implications.
abstract: Umbilical cord accidents (UCA) are a significant cause of stillbirth. Although infrequent, litigation may occur when there is a poor outcome associated with UCA. With advances in imaging, the ability to identify UCA by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging raises awareness of the risk of a poor outcome. Management of a pregnancy with an identified UCA may require more fetal surveillance by both the mother and caregiver. This is especially important if there is a previous history of UCA with or without stillbirth. UCA should be an acknowledged risk which is part of prenatal screening. In the event of a poor outcome associated with UCA, it is recommended that the patient be fully informed of all prenatal information including images. Excellent communication with parents who are looking for answers after a tragic outcome may help to decrease litigation risk.
authors.affiliation: Pregnancy Institute, P.O. Box 806, New Roads, LA 70760, USA. Electronic address: Jcollinsmd77@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jason H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Collins
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Stillbirth; Stillbirth lawsuit; Stillbirth litigation; Umbilical cord accident; Umbilical cord ultrasound