<court>San Diego County (Calif) Superior Court</court>—After an Ob/Gyn delivered a baby via forceps and vacuum extraction, the nurses noticed that the infant’s right eye was swollen and opaque. The child was later diagnosed with a corneal tear and would have to undergo a cornea transplant by age 1.
In suing, the parents contended that the obstetrician misapplied the forceps during the course of delivery, resulting in the corneal tear.
The physician argued that he did not apply the forceps improperly. Instead, other factors such as bony prominence or vacuum suction caused the eye injury.
The jury awarded the plaintiffs $425,000.
The cases presented here were compiled by Lewis L. Laska, editor of Medical Malpractice Verdicts, Settlements & Experts. While there are instances when the available information is incomplete, these cases represent the types of clinical situations that typically result in litigation.