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Clinic responsible for brain-damaged baby, court rules
By Ko Dong-hwan
By Ko Dong-hwan
A court has ruled that a clinic is partially responsible for a baby that suffered brain damage and further complications through a postponed cesarean birth.
Seoul Eastern District Court ruled Monday that the clinic must pay 329 million won to the plaintiffs ― a boy, 4, and his mother, 41.
The woman gave birth at a Seoul gynecology clinic on June 24, 2010. Doctors tried to induce the baby, but decided on a cesarean after eight hours because the baby’s heart rate kept dropping.
The baby’s cry was weak and he showed symptoms of cyanosis ― blueness or lividness of skin caused by imperfectly oxygenated blood.
The boy is now severely handicapped, unable to move on his own and suffering brain damage and hydrocephalus.
The court ruled that the hospital should have used more discretion and proceeded with a cesarean birth earlier.
However, the court took into account the possibility that the baby’s brain had already been prematurely developed inside the uterus, assigning the hospital 40 percent of prosecutable responsibility.