What Types of Birth Injuries Can Cause Cerebral Palsy?

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Shapiro Law Group

When OB-GYNs or other doctors deliver newborns, they are legally to provide treatment within the standard of care. If doctors make mistakes during the delivery process, newborns may develop conditions like cerebral palsy. The following types of birth injuries can lead to the development of this condition.

Newborns can develop cerebral palsy for the following reasons:

Prolapsed umbilical cord: This birth complication causes newborns to become entangled in the umbilical cord. If this complication is not quickly addressed, newborns can suffer from oxygen deprivation (known as hypoxia or anoxia). An OB-GYN or other doctor has several options when this occurs, such as performing an emergency C-section or moving the fetus away from the umbilical cord.
Blunt force trauma: Doctors can make mistakes while using medical instruments, such as a vacuum extractor or forceps. Blunt force trauma from these instruments can cause cerebral palsy.
Failure to perform C-section: Certain health conditions warrant an emergency C-section, such as an irregular heartbeat. Delaying a C-section can result in oxygen deprivation and cerebral palsy. Doctors may also fail to plan a C-section when newborns are too large to fit through the birth canal. This can also result in oxygen deprivation and cerebral palsy.

Should You Hire a Birth Injury Attorney?

In some cases, doctors fail to properly monitor expecting mothers or their babies. Doctors who fail to detect problems and provide treatment may be held liable if newborns develop cerebral palsy.

It is important for parents to be careful when selecting law firms for a birth injury claim. Medical malpractice is an extremely complicated area of personal injury law that takes decades to master. Children with certain types of cerebral palsy may require round-the-clock medical care. Damages obtained from a medical malpractice lawsuit can help parents pay for these costs.

Attorney Richard Shapiro has spent over three decades fighting for children harmed by medical negligence and hospitals mistakes.

Tags: NICU

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