The case, brought in San Antonio, involved a newborn who suffered severe oxygen deprivation due to the misinterpretation of fetal heart monitor data during labor. Medical records, including both nursing and physician notes, consistently described the fetal heart tracings as usual, citing regular and robust accelerations.
However, a detailed review of the monitor strips, conducted in conjunction with expert analysis, revealed that the clinicians had been misreading the data. The pattern identified as the fetal heart rate was, in fact, the mother’s heart rate. This critical error led to a complete failure to recognize signs of fetal distress.
As a result of this misinterpretation, the baby’s deteriorating condition went undetected until delivery, at which point the infant was born in a profoundly oxygen-deprived state. The case centered on the failure of medical personnel to correctly interpret and respond to the fetal monitor, resulting in a preventable and devastating birth injury.