This website does not represent the outcome of these lawsuits against Chuka Jenkins, M.D., nor does it judge the veracity of the accusations therein. In Maryland, however, all medical malpractice lawsuits require a certificate from an actively practicing doctor vouching for the merit of the lawsuit.
Chuka Jenkins, M.D. is an obstetrics/gynecology and maternal fetal medicine specialist who is affiliated with Medstar Harbor Hospital. Dr. Jenkins provides a full range of obstetrical and gynecologic care, including pap smears, cyst removal, and menopausal symptom management. He also has extensive experience in managing complicated or high-risk pregnancies. Although this page is focused solely on Dr. Jenkins, you can find information about medical malpractice lawsuits filed against Medstar Harbor Hospital here.
Based on publicly available records and data, Dr. Jenkins has been named as a co-defendant in two Maryland medical malpractice cases. While the Maryland circuit court complaints are available in a PDF below, here is an excerpt of the allegations:
The first available complaint against Dr. Jenkins lists the following allegations:
Failing to properly interpret prenatal diagnostic testing. According to the complaint, the plaintiff presented to the defendant doctor for prenatal care at approximately 11 weeks gestation. At that time she allegedly submitted to Nuchal Translucency (NT) testing, a procedure where fluid behind the neck of the fetus is measured as part of a Down syndrome screening. The defendant doctor then reportedly supplied the fluid measurements to a lab for interpretation; however, these measurements apparently failed to meet the sufficient criteria to determine a Down syndrome diagnosis. As further outlined in the complaint, the defendant subsequently gave birth to a baby with Down syndrome.
Failing to prevent patient harm. The complaint contends that the defendant doctor’s negligence in providing adequate NT measurements to the diagnostic lab deprived the plaintiff of a timely and accurate confirmation of the health of her baby. Had the plaintiff been made aware of her baby’s Down syndrome diagnosis while she was still pregnant, the complaint claims, she would have elected to terminate the pregnancy rather than give birth to a child with severe and permanent disabilities. The plaintiff maintains that the life long pain and suffering and burdensome medical expenses stemming from the Down syndrome diagnosis are the direct result of the defendant doctor’s failure to adhere to appropriate standards of medical care.
The second complaint against Dr. Jenkins lists the following allegations:
Failing to properly monitor a high-risk patient. The complaint contends that the plaintiff presented to the defendant hospital at 31.2 weeks’ gestation with reports of pregnancy induced hypertension (high blood pressure.) She purportedly had a history of gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension, both of which were allegedly noted by the defendant doctors during a previous prenatal visit. As outlined in the complaint, these conditions can potentially cause birth complications. Upon admission to the hospital’s labor and delivery unit, the plaintiff’s blood pressure readings were apparently elevated and medication was reportedly administered to control her hypertension. However, per the complaint, her blood pressure remained elevated. Despite this complication and the plaintiff’s documented history of gestational hypertension, continuous fetal monitoring was allegedly not initiated.
Failing to properly manage a high-risk delivery. Per the complaint, the plaintiff’s blood pressure continued to spike for nearly two days during monitoring at the defendant hospital. She was also apparently noted to have high levels of protein in a urine sample. The defendant doctors allegedly determined that plaintiff was at risk for severe pre-eclampsia, a potentially dangerous condition in pregnant women characterized by high blood pressure and excessive urine proteins. However, despite the defendant doctors’ apparent awareness of this risk, as well as non-continuous fetal monitoring strips that reportedly showed an increasingly erratic heart rate, they allegedly failed to take immediate action to delivery the plaintiff’s baby.
Failing to prevent patient harm. As maintained in the complaint, the defendant doctors eventually determined that the plaintiff was indeed suffering from severe pre-eclampsia and were also aware that her unborn baby’s heart rate had become non-reassuring. However, they reportedly waited several more hours before finally delivering the plaintiff’s baby via cesarean section at roughly 32.2 weeks’ gestation. They also allegedly performed the cesarean section without first giving the plaintiff a dose of magnesium sulfate, which has been found to protect the brains of premature babies. The plaintiff’s baby apparently suffered brain hemorrhaging and seizures after birth and was eventually diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This permanent disability was the direct result of negligence on the part of the defendant doctor’s in providing timely and appropriate care, as averred in the complaint.
This website does not represent the outcome of these lawsuits against Chuka Jenkins, M.D., nor does it judge the veracity of the accusations therein. In Maryland, however, all medical malpractice lawsuits require a certificate from an actively practicing doctor vouching for the merit of the lawsuit.
Chuka Jenkins, M.D. is an obstetrics/gynecology and maternal fetal medicine specialist who is affiliated with Medstar Harbor Hospital. Dr. Jenkins provides a full range of obstetrical and gynecologic care, including pap smears, cyst removal, and menopausal symptom management. He also has extensive experience in managing complicated or high-risk pregnancies. Although this page is focused solely on Dr. Jenkins, you can find information about medical malpractice lawsuits filed against Medstar Harbor Hospital here.
Based on publicly available records and data, Dr. Jenkins has been named as a co-defendant in two Maryland medical malpractice cases. While the Maryland circuit court complaints are available in a PDF below, here is an excerpt of the allegations:
The first available complaint against Dr. Jenkins lists the following allegations:
The second complaint against Dr. Jenkins lists the following allegations:
Last updated August 20, 2021