Was Your Child’s Cerebral Palsy a Result of Negligent Medical Care?

 Posted on May 26, 2021 in Medical Malpractice

The birth of a new baby should be one of the most joyous days of a parent’s life. Unfortunately, some births are wrought with anxiety. If your baby suffered a birth injury during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, it is possible that this birth injury will cause lifelong medical concerns. Cerebral palsy is a condition that has been linked to substandard medical care during a child’s birth. If your child has cerebral palsy, it is possible that an avoidable birth injury may be to blame.

What Causes Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy can lead to profound physical and cognitive limitations. Muscle spasticity and rigidity, involuntary movements, difficulty walking, problems eating, and hearing and vision impairments are all known symptoms of this condition. There is still much about cerebral palsy that doctors do not understand. The condition is caused by abnormal development of the brain. Some children are born with the condition while others acquire the condition after suffering damage to the brain.

What Types of Medical Mistakes Can Lead to Cerebral Palsy?

Fetal stroke and lack of oxygen to an infant’s brain are two birth injuries that may cause a child to develop cerebral palsy. Fetal stroke occurs when blood vessels in the baby’s brain are blocked or damaged. This results in reduced blood flow to the baby’s brain tissue. Birth trauma and lack of proper medical care during pregnancy and birth may result in an avoidable fetal or perinatal stroke.

Lack of oxygen to the brain or hypoxia can cause brain damage in a matter of minutes. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, is a form of oxygen deprivation typically caused by asphyxia. Placental abruption, problems with the umbilical cord, maternal blood pressure abnormalities, trauma to the child’s head, breech birth, and prolonged labor are just some of the many causes of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.  When doctors do not properly address and manage complications during a child’s birth, preventable birth injuries may occur. For example, if labor is prolonged or the baby is in breech position, doctors may need to perform an emergency C-section.

When doctors delay making these difficult decisions or fail to recognize the signs of fetal distress and a baby is harmed as a result, the infant’s parents may have a valid medical malpractice claim. The parents may be entitled to financial compensation for their child’s medical needs and other damages that result from the substandard medical care.

Contact a Rockford Birth Injury Lawyer

Cerebral palsy is sometimes the result of medical negligence during pregnancy or birth. If you child’s cerebral palsy was caused by poor medical care, you may be able to hold the negligent medical provider accountable through a birth injury claim. You may also be entitled to financial compensation for you damages. To learn more, contact a Winnebago County medical malpractice attorney from Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois. Call us at 815-215-7561 today.

Source:

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/cerebral-palsy/conditioninfo/causes