Rh-ABO Incompatibility

The birth of a child is meant to be a happy occasion, but it may quickly become devastating if something goes wrong. If your child has suffered harm due to a medical condition that was not promptly diagnosed and treated, you may have rights to assert. At Arfaa Law Group, skilled Baltimore birth injury attorney Julia Arfaa can thoroughly examine the facts of your case and determine whether you may be able to bring a claim.

Rh incompatibility is a blood incompatibility between the mother and the baby, which may lead to the newborn suffering from Rhesus disease (also known as hemolytic disease). This condition develops when the baby has Rh-positive blood, and the mother has Rh-negative blood. Similarly, if the mother has blood type O, and the fetus has blood type A, B, or AB, the mother will create antibodies against the baby’s blood type. The risk increases with second and subsequent pregnancies. Rh-ABO incompatibility may pose a number of serious health risks for a newborn, including brain damage, heart failure, jaundice, anemia, and even death.

Rh incompatibility may be prevented by having the mother undergo an Rh factor test during her first prenatal visit to determine whether she is Rh positive or Rh negative. In this way, a doctor can identify the incompatibility and take the necessary steps to prevent any birth injuries. If the doctor does not do this, they may be liable for medical malpractice.

In Maryland, medical malpractice occurs when a doctor deviates from the standard of care that a reasonably prudent doctor in the same specialty would have used in the same situation, thereby causing injuries or death to a patient. Malpractice may also occur by omission. In other words, a doctor may be considered negligent if they failed to act when there was a duty to do so, causing harm to a patient.

Victims of medical malpractice are often forced to shoulder significant physical, financial, and emotional burdens because of their injuries. As a result, Maryland law allows plaintiffs to recover both economic and non-economic damages, such as medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, therapy costs, pain and suffering, and compensation for future care. In cases in which someone has lost a loved one to medical malpractice, they may be able to seek wrongful death damages.

Under state law, certain procedural requirements must be followed prior to filing a medical malpractice claim. For example, a plaintiff must obtain a certificate of merit from a doctor that asserts that the defendant medical professional’s conduct deviated from the accepted duty of care and that the deviation was a direct cause of the victim’s harm.

If you believe that your newborn’s injury or death could have been prevented with competent medical care, you should reach out to Baltimore birth injury lawyer Julia Arfaa. At Arfaa Law Group, we are familiar with the wide range of issues that may arise in this complicated area of the law, and we can put our experience to use in your case. Julia Arfaa assists people who need a medical malpractice attorney throughout the state of Maryland. Feel free to call 410-889-1850 or contact us online to set up a free appointment.