Protecting Mothers and Babies When Doctors Ignore the Warning Signs
High-risk pregnancies require vigilance, coordination, and fast response. When physicians overlook abnormal lab values or dismiss a mother’s complaints, the results can be devastating.
Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) is one of the clearest examples of a disorder that can be safely managed — yet too often ends in tragedy because medical professionals fail to act.
For nearly 50 years, Vincent Petrucelli, Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and Super Lawyers® honoree since 2007, has helped families across the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin recover when substandard prenatal and obstetric care caused avoidable harm.
Understanding Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP)
ICP is a liver disorder that arises late in pregnancy when bile acids build up in the bloodstream rather than flowing into the digestive tract. These toxic bile acids can cross the placenta and injure the baby, increasing the risk of:
- Stillbirth
- Preterm delivery
- Fetal distress or meconium aspiration
- Postpartum hemorrhage in the mother
Symptoms Doctors Must Recognize
- Severe itching, especially on palms and soles (often worse at night)
- Jaundice or yellowing of the skin and eyes
- Dark urine, pale stool, fatigue, or nausea
- Elevated liver enzymes and bile-acid levels in lab tests
How Negligence Occurs
ICP is manageable if promptly diagnosed and treated with medications such as ursodeoxycholic acid and careful fetal surveillance. Negligence arises when providers:
- Ignore or minimize maternal complaints of itching or jaundice
- Fail to order bile-acid or liver-function testing
- Delay treatment or specialist referral to a maternal-fetal-medicine expert
- Do not schedule induction or C-section once bile-acid levels reach critical thresholds
- Overlook abnormal non-stress tests or biophysical profiles showing fetal distress
These mistakes expose both mother and child to life-threatening danger — and are preventable with basic prenatal diligence.
Other High-Risk Maternal Conditions We Litigate
- Gestational Diabetes Mismanagement
- Uncontrolled blood-sugar levels increase the risk of macrosomia (large baby), shoulder dystocia, and stillbirth. We show how missed screenings or poor insulin control led to avoidable injuries.
- Placental Abruption and Previa
These conditions require immediate diagnosis and C-section delivery. Delays can cause massive maternal bleeding and fetal oxygen loss.
Maternal Infections and Sepsis
Failing to treat Group B Strep, chorioamnionitis, or postpartum infections can result in brain injury or death. We trace lab data and timing to prove when antibiotics should have been given.
Hypertensive Disorders and HELLP Syndrome
When physicians ignore rising blood pressure or lab evidence of organ damage, mothers can suffer seizures and babies can sustain permanent neurological damage.
How Petrucelli & Petrucelli Proves Negligence in Maternal Care Cases
- Comprehensive Record Review — We analyze prenatal charts, lab results, ultrasound imaging, and physician notes for missed warning signs.
- Expert Consultation — We work with maternal-fetal-medicine specialists, hepatologists, and obstetric nurses to establish the standard of care.
- Causation Modeling — We link lab abnormalities and clinical symptoms to the moment medical intervention should have occurred.
- Damages Quantification — Economists and life-care planners project the cost of lifelong medical treatment and support for both mother and child.
Experience That Makes a Difference
For decades, Vincent Petrucelli has been the attorney families turn to when doctors fail to protect high-risk pregnancies. His five decades of trial experience, Fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers, and landmark success in Ferdon v. Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund give our clients the confidence of proven leadership and results.
Our firm’s record of multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements has helped families throughout Marquette, Iron Mountain, Escanaba, Menominee, Houghton, and Green Bay secure justice and long-term security. Contact Vincent Petrucelli today at (906) 265-6173 or vincent@truthfinders.com.
Petrucelli & Petrucelli — Fighting for Justice Across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin
