The family of a 5-year-old Chicago boy was awarded $14 million in a settlement Tuesday after he suffered a severe brain injury during birth after hospital staff members allegedly mixed up his heart rate with his mother's pulse.

The malpractice complaint against Northwestern Memorial Hospital contended the baby was not breathing when he was born and that emergency staffers were not prepared to resuscitate him because of the monitoring error.

The 7-minute lapse without oxygen caused the child to suffer from cerebral palsy, leaving his arms and legs paralyzed, according to the complaint.

The boy, Peter Vlachos, will never be able to walk or talk, his family's lawyer Kurt Lloyd said Wednesday.

Lloyd said the parents were pleased with the settlement, which was approved by Cook County Circuit Judge Gregory M. O'Brien.

"They are very relieved," Lloyd said. "Now they can provide for the child for the rest of his life."

Georgiann Vlachos delivered her first child about noon May 24, 2002, at Prentice Women's Hospital, which is a part of the Northwestern system.

Her obstetrician and nurse allegedly misinterpreted the boy's heart rate before the delivery and did not realize the baby was in fetal distress, according to the complaint.

A neonatal resuscitation team was not called to help the newborn until after he was delivered and appeared blue and limp, according to a statement from Lloyd.

As soon as the team arrived and placed a breathing tube in his airway, the baby's heart rate increased.

But the seven minutes he was without oxygen caused him to suffer from spastic quadriplegia, the complaint said.

The mother's obstetrician, Dr. Susan Hungerford, also was named as a defendant in the complaint.

Officials at Northwestern confirmed the settlement but declined comment Wednesday. Hungerford did not return a call for comment.

Vlachos did not have previous complications with her pregnancy, Lloyd said.

The parents, who live on Chicago's North Side, have since had two healthy daughters, he said.

• Birth Trauma
• Birth Injury Verdicts
• Prenatal Care
• Cerebral Palsy

• Birth Injury

• Birth Injury - EMedicine

Provides general information about birth injuries and other resources.

• Birth Injury - United Cerebral Palsy in Philadelphia

Homepage to the United Cerebral Palsy of Philadelphia organization.