Maryland Lawsuits AgainstKimberly Kesler-O'Rourke, M.D.

Baltimore, MD 21204

This website does not represent the outcome of these lawsuits against Kimberly Kesler-O’Rourke, 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.

Kimberly Kesler-O’Rourke, M.D. is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist who is affiliated with Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). Dr. Kesler-O’Rourke specializes in the treatment of pelvic conditions such as cysts and fibroids and has extensive experience in cesarean surgical childbirth. Although this page is focused solely on Dr. Kesler-O’Rourke, you can find information about medical malpractice lawsuits filed against GBMC here.

Based on publicly available records and data, Dr. Kesler-O’Rourke has been named as a co-defendant in one Maryland medical malpractice case. While the Maryland circuit court complaint is available in a PDF below, here is an excerpt of the allegations:

The first available complaint against Dr. Kesler-O’Rourke lists the following allegations:

  • Failing to administer a necessary cesarean section. The complaint contends that the plaintiff was admitted to the defendant hospital for induction of labor and subsequently received an intravenous dose of Pitocin, a drug used to initiate contractions. Less than two hours later fetal monitoring ostensibly indicated signs of distress; however, the Pitocin continued to be administered. When nursing staff were briefly unable to locate a fetal heartbeat, the Pitocin was halted but then purportedly reintroduced when the fetal heart rate stabilized. This pattern allegedly persisted for over seven hours of labor, with the intravenous Pitocin paused and then resumed a total of four times while fetal monitoring signaled consistent distress. Despite these complications, the defendant doctor reportedly neglected to perform a cesarean section until fetal monitoring showed signs of severe oxygen deprivation.
  • Failing to prevent patient harm. Per the complaint, when the plaintiff’s child was finally delivered via cesarean section he was blue in color and required chest compressions to begin breathing. After extended treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit of both the defendant hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital, he was eventually diagnosed with severe and permanent birth injuries including cerebral palsy, developmental delays, and respiratory difficulties. The complaint contends that these birth defects are directly attributable to the negligence of the defendant doctor in her failure to administer a timely cesarean section, and that the plaintiff’s child would likely have been born healthy had the cesarean been performed at the first sign of labor complications.
  • Failing to provide informed consent. As maintained in the complaint, the defendant doctor failed to adequately counsel the plaintiff as to the severity of her labor complications. The complaint further maintains that if the plaintiff been fully informed of the risks that continuous labor posed to her fetus and advised that a timely cesarean section was the best option to deliver her child safely, she would have chosen to forego a vaginal birth and her child would likely have been born healthy.

Last updated August 16, 2021

Kimberly Kesler-O'Rourke, M.D. Lawsuit Statistics

Complaints


Complaint #1 - Kesler-complaint.pdf