Nov 16

“Oh, It’s Just Superficial…”

“Oh, it’s just superficial, but since you’ve opened a suture kit, I’ll put a couple of sutures in.” -Resident OB to two midwives who delivered the baby and had called the OB because they were concerned that mother had sustained a bad tear.

Turns out it wasn’t just superficial – it was a 4th degree tear and will require major surgery and a temporary colostomy to repair 6 years down the track.

43 people dislike these words.

There are 6 comments to this post.

K had this to say, Nov 16, 2009 @ 8:05 am (Quote)

The ineptitude is appalling. What a terrible way to have to spend the first years of your baby’s life. I do hope that she has had her issues sorted out now.

[Reply]

Michelle Potter had this to say, Nov 16, 2009 @ 7:53 pm (Quote)

There are so many things wrong with that sentence that I hardly know where to start. First, the doctor can’t tell the difference between a superficial tear and a 4th degree tear?? Is he blind?? Maybe he’s doing something to the women he attends that causes them to tear even worse than this poor woman? I sure hope not, because obviously he also has no clue what to do about it!

And what’s up with saying he’ll do some sutures because they opened up a suture kit? THAT’S how he makes his decisions?? Is he going to stitch a woman up who doesn’t need it just because someone already opened up the kit? “Hmmm, don’t want to waste this, better put a couple sutures in the nearest perineum. Hey Nurse, hop up on this bed a second.”

What a tool.

[Reply]

Kathy had this to say, Nov 17, 2009 @ 4:56 am (Quote)

I tore in an odd way — only a 2nd-degree tear, but it was weird nonetheless. At first the midwife thought I only had “skid marks” — superficial tears; but on closer inspection (because I was bleeding too much, and it didn’t seem to be the normal postpartum uterine flow, but actually coming from my vagina or labia), she discovered that it was a deeper tear. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I think that the first time she looked at it, the skin surrounding the tear happened to be lying in such a way that it hid the skin — you know how sometimes you can cut yourself, and it’s bad, but if you look at the cut one way, it doesn’t look bad; but looked at another way (if you fold the cut skin back), you can see how large or deep it really is.

Makes me wonder if somehow, something like this happened — a cursory glance by the doctor made it seem like it wasn’t too bad, but had he actually take a few seconds longer, or inspected the tear with his fingers, he may have seen more. Not that I’m trying to defend him! But I can scarcely imagine any other alternative, than being too hasty.

[Reply]

Panicqueen had this to say, Dec 1, 2009 @ 4:34 pm (Quote)

I can understand that he was probably trying not to have the patient freak out by revealing such heavy news..but he could have laid it thicker than “it’s just superficial”, that’s outright lying!

I also don’t understand the part about recovery.. why a colostomy 6 years down the road?

I hope this mama has recovered well, anyway!

[Reply]

Samantha had this to say, Jul 14, 2010 @ 5:29 pm (Quote)

It sounds like he was trying to prove the midwives wrong in any way he could, even to the point of contradicting them on something obvious…like he would suture it just because the kit was open, never because a midwife thought it should be done.
Annnnd…it doesn’t matter if “heavy news” would freak out a patient, it’s a care provider’s job to give the truth about the patient’s health to the patient, period. Any sugar-coating at ALL is lying.

[Reply]