ultrasound Tech making doctors decisions that may have cause a unborn babys life

[Anthony1958]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Washington State

My wife found out that she was pregnant, but we did not know how far along she was, because with our last child my wife never came on her monthly. Once she gotten her pregnancy test back, she made an appointment to go in and see her OB doctor, So they wanted her to go and get blood work done before being seen to find out how many months she was. we found out that she was around 13 weeks, they had her to come in for a ultrasound on 10/18/12 my wife had just told me that she felt the baby flutering around in her. I took her into the office for the ultrasound, so the ultrasound tech started the test 5 to 8 mins she stop the test and told me and my wife that there is no heartbeat and stop the test. At that point she should have went and got the doctor to come and exam the ultrasound
to make the final decision on a micarrage.The doctor never came into the ultrasound room, nor was a second test perform or nothing a ultrasound tech became the doctor and pronunce our baby dead.
she took us into another room and then another doctor other than the one we was suppose to see came in to say that she was sorry, and that to have a DnC is the right thing to do. and they sent her home with the baby still in her for 5 days on 10/22/12 is the day that the baby was removed, the ultrasound show the baby head and legs they didn't even give my wife not one copy of the image of our baby.
because it was actually there. at the day of the removal we never was told what sex the baby was or if we wanted to have a funeral or nothing my wife did even get a change to see the or hold the baby
never even got a chance to even talk to the doctor. she seen the doctor when the doctor came in which this doctor was two hours late getting there my wife ask of her where abouts they told my wife that the doctor was out delivering babys. when this doctor did arrive she told my wife that she is doing the right thing by going through this. Something truly is not right what did they do with the baby
I've read other stories with issue as this but all of them got a chance to hold their babys and was asked did they want to give their baby a funeral' whos to say that our baby didn't have a heartbeat if it wasn't stated by a real doctor? my wife from the time of them sending her home for the 5 days and them telling her what she was going to start feeling and seeing didn't come to play. my wife did not have one problem no bleeding no nothing they harmed out our baby, they didn't try to do another ultrasound or nothing we have three healthy children here no problems whatsoever, my wife is mentally destory by this I'm trying my best to hold on for her and the kids. however, each story I related to what has happen with us, points something different than this, and that is more than one ultrasounds were givin to these's mothers.

 

[jiggy78]

What do you think could have been done differently that would have saved the baby?

You wife should seek counseling if she is having trouble dealing with this.

 

[Proserpina]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Washington State

My wife found out that she was pregnant, but we did not know how far along she was, because with our last child my wife never came on her monthly. Once she gotten she pregnancy test back, she made an appointment to go in and see her OB doctor, So they wanted her to go and get blood work done before being seen to find out how many months she was. we found out that she was around 13 weeks, they had her to come in for a ultrasound on 10/18/12 my wife had just told me that she felt the baby flutering around in her. I took her into the office for the ultrasound, so the ultrasound tech started the test 5 to 8 mins she stop the test and told me and my that there is no heartbeat and stop the test. At that point she should have went and got the doctor to come and exam the ultrasound
to make the final decision on a micarrage.The doctor never came into the ultrasound room, nor was a second test perform or nothing a ultrasound tech became the doctor and pronunce our baby dead.
she told us into another room and then another doctor other than the one we was suppose to see came in to say that she was sorry, and that to have a DnC is the right thing to do. and they sent her home with the baby still inher for 5 days on 10/22/12 is the day that the baby was removed, the ultrasound show the baby head and legs they didn't even give my not one copy of the image of our baby.
because it was actually there. at the day of the removal we never was told what sex the baby was or if we wanted to have a funeral or nothing my wife didn't even get a change to see the or hold the baby
never even got a chance to even talk to the doctor. she seen the doctor when the doctor came in which this doctor was two hours late getting there, my wife ask of her where abouts they told my wife that the doctor was out delivering babys. when this doctor did arrive she told my wife that she is doing the right thing by going through this. Something truly is not right what did they do with the baby
I've read other stories with issue as this but all of them got a chance to hold their babys and was asked did they want to give their baby a funeral' whos to say that our baby didn't have a heartbeat if it wasn't stated by a real doctor? my wife from the time of them sending her home for the 5 days and them telling her what she was going to start feeling and seeing didn't come to play. my wife did not have one problem no bleeding no nothing they harmed out our baby, they didn't try to do another ultrasound or nothing we have three healthy children here no problems whatsoever, my wife is mentally destory by this I'm trying my best to hold on for her and the kids.

I'm so sorry for your loss, but there is no cause of action here.

 

[anearthw]

Sorry for your loss.

What should have been explained to you is that a fetus dated 13 weeks but has no heartbeat, is very unlikely to look like a baby which you can "hold". I have had a loss at a similar date (and had it at home, so I do know exactly what it looked like)- at this stage, the fetus will 'shrink back' and depending on the date of the loss, may be no more than the size of a 6-9 week gestation (for example). It is not a "baby" which you can hold, take photos, etc. It is very unlikely the sex could be determined - especially with a D&C procedure.

I would suggest your doctor make an additional appointment with her OB so that these details can be explained to her. Obviously your wife should seek counseling as she is quite upset about this and that is fair.

However, it seems you and your wife are devastated about the process of loss D&C rather than any sort of medical malpractice. The ultrasound technician and doctor obviously discussed the findings of the ultrasound together, just not in front of you and your wife. The doctor would have reviewed the images in their office and made recommendation of D&C rather than Cytotec or natural loss. It is very obvious when there is no fetal heartbeat.

 

[FlyingRon]

I'm very sorry for your loss, but the ultrasound tech doesn't seem to have acted improperly here. The tech isn't responsible for any of the things you describe. Your fault, if there were any, appears to be with the Obstetrician. The Obstetrician is the one responsible for ordering the test and dealing with the results. It's the obstetrician that is responsible for the advice given on the DNC and where your questions should have been directed. However, I'm not seeing anything particularly negligent about that either.

 

[Antigone*]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Washington State

My wife found out that she was pregnant, but we did not know how far along she was, because with our last child my wife never came on her monthly. Once she gotten her pregnancy test back, she made an appointment to go in and see her OB doctor, So they wanted her to go and get blood work done before being seen to find out how many months she was. we found out that she was around 13 weeks, they had her to come in for a ultrasound on 10/18/12 my wife had just told me that she felt the baby flutering around in her. I took her into the office for the ultrasound, so the ultrasound tech started the test 5 to 8 mins she stop the test and told me and my wife that there is no heartbeat and stop the test. At that point she should have went and got the doctor to come and exam the ultrasound
to make the final decision on a micarrage.The doctor never came into the ultrasound room, nor was a second test perform or nothing a ultrasound tech became the doctor and pronunce our baby dead.
she took us into another room and then another doctor other than the one we was suppose to see came in to say that she was sorry, and that to have a DnC is the right thing to do. and they sent her home with the baby still in her for 5 days on 10/22/12 is the day that the baby was removed, the ultrasound show the baby head and legs they didn't even give my wife not one copy of the image of our baby.
because it was actually there. at the day of the removal we never was told what sex the baby was or if we wanted to have a funeral or nothing my wife did even get a change to see the or hold the baby
never even got a chance to even talk to the doctor. she seen the doctor when the doctor came in which this doctor was two hours late getting there my wife ask of her where abouts they told my wife that the doctor was out delivering babys. when this doctor did arrive she told my wife that she is doing the right thing by going through this. Something truly is not right what did they do with the baby
I've read other stories with issue as this but all of them got a chance to hold their babys and was asked did they want to give their baby a funeral' whos to say that our baby didn't have a heartbeat if it wasn't stated by a real doctor? my wife from the time of them sending her home for the 5 days and them telling her what she was going to start feeling and seeing didn't come to play. my wife did not have one problem no bleeding no nothing they harmed out our baby, they didn't try to do another ultrasound or nothing we have three healthy children here no problems whatsoever, my wife is mentally destory by this I'm trying my best to hold on for her and the kids. however, each story I related to what has happen with us, points something different than this, and that is more than one ultrasounds were givin to these's mothers.

I too am very sorry for your loss, but at 13 weeks gestation there is no funeral, there is no baby to hold. I might kindly suggest that you and your wife get some counselling in order to help you deal with your grief.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

I am sorry for your loss. There are therapists trained in a special technique called EMDR. It has been medically proven to help some people overcome PTSD situations.

 

[ecmst12]

I'm not sure that such a technique would be helpful in this situation, but therapy is definitely the right way to go.

Funerals are not typically held for miscarriages, but if you feel like such a thing would be helpful for you and your wife, you are certainly free to hold a service. It will strike most people as odd, though. There wouldn't be anything to bury, the tissue removed during the DnC would have been taken for testing to try to determine what went wrong (though the cause is not always able to be determined) and would most likely not have been recognizable as a baby, it would have been more upsetting to allow you to see it.

 

[anearthw]

When we lost ours at the same gestation, we left a piece of a swaddle (intended for the baby) in a river as a memorial. You can still do something similar and it can be more comforting.

The title of your thread suggests that the ultrasound tech may have caused the death of the fetus. At 13 weeks, it is VERY evident whether or not there is the presence of a heartbeat at the ultrasound. It is also quite likely that the fetal imaging (which would have been reviewed by the doctor) indicated that life was no longer present. Again, sorry for your loss, and your wife/you should also speak with the OBGYN to help you better understand this situation.

 

[ecmst12]

Agreed, there is definitely nothing that the tech could have done which would have caused the baby to die, they were just the unfortunate one to discover the bad news. It's unlikely that there was anything that anyone could have done to prevent it, either. Most of the time, it's a genetic defect that causes the demise. While natural, it's not productive to look to place blame for the tragedy.

 

[usound76]

Terribly sorry for your loss.

As stated before, the ultrasound technologist did not do anything improper. The technologist would have certainly discussed the images with the physician away from you. That is standard procedure. These findings are upsetting for everyone involved, including the tech, believe me. At 13 weeks, fetal heartbeat is very obvious and the fetus is no more than 6-9 inches long, so there would have been no baby to hold in this instance. In my experience, a photograph of the baby would have just caused more emotional distress both short and long term. Counseling for both of you would be beneficial.

 

[csi7]

What we did with a loss similar to yours was get a few roses for those people close to us to share and toss into the river.

You do need to grieve for your loss, and it may take therapy, counseling, and/or a combination to help you heal.

There is no legal recourse here, as everyone has stated.