Birth injuries are one of those types of medical malpractice that can devastate the whole family. These kinds of injuries can result in life-long consequences that can negatively impact families and their kids for their whole lives.
When a newborn suffers birth injuries because of the negligence of a healthcare provider, the family of the victim can file a lawsuit against the negligent parties to hold them liable for their actions and seek compensation for the difficulties they’ve suffered.
If you’re looking for justice and want some reprieve, contact an experienced birth injury attorney to help you collect the relevant evidence, file the claim, and also help calculate a fair amount as compensation.
Here are some of the different complications a birth injury lawyer can help with.
Administration of the Wrong Medication
Medicinal mistakes are one of the most common kinds of medical malpractice, and they’re known to cause many birth injuries. Healthcare providers should know the medicines a mother is on and monitor them carefully for any potential side effects. Failing to do this can be seen as medical negligence. For instance, a pregnant woman might’ve been prescribed drugs by her doctor. If the medicine causes harm, she might have a claim against the doctor who prescribed the medication.
Failing to Attend to Fetal Stress
Medical professionals can sometimes make errors when interpreting the mother’s ultrasound records before birth. They can also sometimes miss signs of a baby being stressed in utero, something they can spot in the electronic monitoring gadgets they use.
Symptoms of fetal stress normally require an effective and immediate response. Fetal stress occurs when the fetus has low oxygen levels, which, in turn, could lead to cerebral palsy, brain damage, and many other complications if not attended to quickly enough. Failing to diligently watch or use all the fetal monitoring gadgets available to monitor for any fetal stress can allow for a claim against the doctor if the baby suffers birth injuries.
Using Medical Equipment Improperly
Doctors might sometimes need to use vacuum extractors or obstetrical forceps during the delivery. They may need to grip the head of the baby with the forceps so that they can reposition it and help guide it through its mother’s birth canal. Forceps come in handy when the delivery process doesn’t go as planned. However, you need to be highly skillful when using them because an error with them could easily result in birth injuries.
A vacuum extractor, unlike forceps, grips the head of the baby with a rubber suction cup. The rubber cup latches onto the top of the baby’s head before the doctor pulls it through the birth canal. Applying excessive force or overusing the device can make it harmful to the fetus. All in all, the use of both tools highlighted above can increase the chances of a birth injury occurring.
C-Section Malpractice
Several different things can help make vaginal delivery and labor hazardous. In such scenarios, a cesarean section might be medically needed to help prevent the baby from getting harmed during birth.
For instance, the heart rate of the infant might drop dramatically, which is one reason a caesarean might be preferred. Or, an umbilical cord compression or placental abruption.
Consequently, as a safer alternative, there may a need to go for an immediate surgical delivery instead of the more traditional vaginal birth. One of the long-term consequences of the umbilical cord compressing around the baby’s neck is cerebral palsy. Any failure or unreasonable delay to perform a cesarean section when necessary can result in serious birth injuries.
Mistakes committed by the medical staff during a C-section can be considered when filing a medical malpractice case.
By Chris Bates
