Fetal lacerations happen in 1.9% of cases.
What should have been a joyous moment — the birth of a little girl — turned into anguish for one Colorado family. Little Kyanni was left with a gash across her face after she was accidentally slashed with a scalpel during an emergency c-section.
A plastic surgeon was brought in to give the baby 13 stitches.
The parents say that the hospital tried to downplay the incident, saying that their daughter had gotten a “scratch” on her face during the procedure.
“As a practicing OB for over 30 years, I’ve never seen a cut this deep and this long,” New York City OBGYN Dr. Jacque Moritz told Inside Edition.
Fetal lacerations happen in only 1.9% of cesarean sections.
“The problem is that the lining of the uterus and the distance between that and the baby’s face is millimeters, so when you’re using a knife, it’s very easy to go through the uterus and just, I would say, touch the baby’s skin, not completely go through it the way it did in this picture,” Moritz said.
Denver Health Medical Center released a statement saying: “We are saddened that there was an injury to the baby’s face but are relieved the baby was delivered healthy and is now at home.”
