In San Francisco (USA) Thomas and Kim Champion gave birth to a little girl called Jessie. However, the happy bubble was soon to burst, because after a couple of days, Jessie began to develop severe jaundice, a common, but possibly a life - threatening illness if it goes untreated due to medical negligence.
Things for Jessie and her family started to worsen, when the doctors failed to treat and test her jaundice, which later developed into kernicterus, which is a preventable but debilitating and lifelong syndrome. As a result, Jessie now suffers from speech and hearing dysfunction as well as cerebral palsy and motor skills impairment.
Jessie is now five years old and her parents have filed a lawsuit in Alameda Superior Court alleging that Alta Bates Summit Medical Centre and other parties were medically negligent for failing to diagnose and treat their daughter's severe newborn jaundice. As a result, the parents are seeking compensation for lifelong medical care and special needs.
The medical negligence suit alleges that the doctors missed several opportunities to intervene and prevent her worsening brain damage. This is shocking, as Jessie's jaundice was noticeable within the first 48 hours of her life and was even brought to the attention of and noted by Alta Bates at the time.
This concern was faced by Alta Bates with a response that medical providers failed to consider the unreliability of visual jaundice assessments in dark-skinned newborns, hence they did not perform a blood test. Later, Jessie was discharged, without telling her parents about potential problems.
Jessie's attorney Cynthia McGuinn stated: "This tragedy was an unnecessary and completely avoidable medical complication that only occurs in cases of medical negligence. Jessie was visibly jaundiced within the first two days of her life, and her doctors noted it on her medical records but failed to conduct a simple, inexpensive blood test that would have identified here elevated bilirubin level and allowed for timely treatment to reverse this toxic process entirely."
Things started to get really bad, when after a couple of days, Jessie and her parents returned back to hospital as he jaundice had got so severe. However, medical attention was further delayed to the staff not working quick enough to test Jessie's blood. Eventually, a second blood test was produced which demonstrated a life-threatening bilirubin level.
McQuinn commented further on the suffering and distress Jessie has to go through daily which could have been avoided: "Now, due to her medical providers' negligence, this once healthy baby girl is celebrating her fifth birthday brain damaged and severely disabled, relegated to a wheelchair and completely dependent upon others for all aspects of her care. Our community, simply can't stand for another healthy child to become completely disabled from an easily detectable, treatable and totally reversible condition."
The suit alleges that, despite medical knowledge, there was no ambulance provided. Hence, more delay and failure to administer immediate medical attention all added to the severity of Jessie's personal injuries.
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