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Hampton & King Wins Large Settlement in Delivery Nurse Negligence Case


— December 14, 2018

Alleged improper use of the delivery drug Pitocin left an infant with irreversible brain damage. Lawyers for the family settled with the hospital, ensuring that there will be adequate funds to cover future medical care.


Hampton & King’s medical malpractice and negligence team secured a large settlement for a family whose baby was born with irreversible brain damage due to alleged delivery nurse negligence. The settlement is sufficient enough to enable the family to take care of the child for the rest of his life.

During the delivery, nurses allegedly failed following the hospital protocol on giving the patient Pitocin – a drug used to augment labor.

The hospital’s Pitocin policy simplifies the delivery and makes fetal injury impossible. Nurses are provided with a checklist that is to be completed before the administration of Pitocin and after. The aim of the policy is to ensure the correct administration of the drug that may otherwise cause excessive uterine contractions.

Out of focus shot of man in scrubs performing medical procedure; image by Marlon Lara, via Unsplash.com.
Out of focus shot of man in scrubs performing medical procedure; image by Marlon Lara, via Unsplash.com.

In the specific situation, the nurses did not follow the hospital protocol, Hampton & King alleged. The law firm posited that this resulted in excessive uterine contractions that contributed to fetal distress, which is why the baby was born with brain damage.

Pitocin is a synthetic branded version of oxytocin – a hormone that induces labor in the female body. Its use is recommended in the case of pregnancies that last for more than 41 weeks and high blood pressure at full term. At the same time, the synthetic version of the hormone is highly potent. It makes the delivery process faster and much more forceful.

For more information, please visit Hampton & King.

About Hampton & King

Hampton & King is the go-to firm for complicated medical malpractice cases in Texas and New Mexico. The firm’s seasoned attorneys have an excellent reputation and extensive experience. Over the years, they have represented clients in an array of very challenging medical malpractice cases.

The firm’s practice areas include medical malpractice, birth injuries, and complications during childbirth. Among themselves, the Hampton & King lawyers have over 60 years of experience. The firm has secured large settlements for multiple clients, addressing medical negligence and malpractice in a comprehensive, thorough way.

The team includes attorneys Hartley Hampton (who has been practicing for more than 40 years) and Christopher G. King (who has over 20 years of experience in the field of medical malpractice). Dr. Krista Kurtyan, the third full-time member, is a physician and responsible for the provision of medical knowledge and insight during malpractice case preparation.

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