Birth Injury Blog

In today’s modern world filled with technological wonder and a focus on the preservation of life, longevity and individual health, medical malpractice would seem to be one the least expected things that comes up in the court of law. Unfortunately, this happens more often than not. Family chose hospital facilities and doctors to care for the newest addition, trusting in the years of experience and dedication that the institution has to offer. Almost never do they expect the worst of things to happen.

From time to time, families find that their child has unfairly been put at risk due to negligence of the hospital staff. In the worst cases, the child suffers irreparable damage as a result. Recently, a 4.3 million Euro settlement was made between and family and a primary care hospital. Though the primary care hospital denied negligence, the family blamed the “substandard” management of his birth for the serious brain-damage the child sustained while in the hospital.

Many people felt that 4.3 million Euros was an outrageous number, but was that truly the case? Recent studies have shown that the financial burden incurred by the family of a severely brain-injured individual exceeds several hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in just medical expenses. This figure does not include the time and wages lost caring for that individual and any other extra accommodations that need to be made as a result. Read the rest of this entry »

For most parents, the birth of a child is an exciting and joyous experience. But nowadays, 3 to 4 percent of newborns suffer from birth-related injuries. In the United States, cerebral palsy has become a serious birth-related injury which affects 5,000 to 10,000 infants each year.

There are different types of birth-related injuries that may happen before, during, or after the birth of a child. Although there are several types of birth injuries, one of the most popular and common type of birth injury is cerebral palsy.

Rather than a disease, cerebral palsy in newborn babies is a physical condition that is caused by brain damage before, during, or after birth. There are four different types of cerebral palsy: spastic cerebral palsy, ataxic cerebral palsy, athetoid cerebral palsy, and mixed cerebral palsy. Each type of cerebral palsy has its own characteristics. Of the four types of cerebral palsy, spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type. It accounts for eighty percent of all cases today in the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

The months that precede the birth of a child are filled with preparation and planning for the expecting parents. Expecting mothers often take great pains to make sure they are as healthy as possible, and that their child is healthy through the duration of the pregnancy. Unfortunately, all of the precautions that are taken before birth can be undone by errors made by medical professionals during childbirth.

Injuries to babies and mothers during childbirth may occur for a variety of reasons. The chances of birth injury increase dramatically during “high-risk” pregnancies, which usually feature additional risks than the traditional pregnancy. High risk pregnancies may include: Read the rest of this entry »

There are three types of cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy means a person can not relax their muscles or their muscles are permanently stiff. Athetoid cerebral palsy means that the patient can not control the movement of their muscles and may regularly suffer from involuntary movements of the affected areas. Ataxic cerebral palsy means the patient will struggle with balance and coordination. Cerebral palsy can differ in it’s severity from mild to very severe. Very severe cerebral palsy will usually necessitate the use of a wheelchair and the parts of the brain that control speech and other functions may be effected.

1- An Orthopedist can help alleviate some of the problems and may be able to slow down problems that are associated with cerebral palsy. The orthopedist will be able to tell you any physical exercises or other forms of treatment that may be required and your doctor should instantly refer you to an orthopedist for further help. Read the rest of this entry »

Caesarean sections, also called c-sections or spelled cesarean sections, is a form of childbirth. In this type of childbirth, a surgical incision is made through a mother’s abdomen and uterus to deliver the baby or babies. This procedure, historically, has been performed when a normal, vaginal delivery would put either the baby’s or the mother’s life or health at risk. Recently, it has become more requested by people for births that would otherwise have been normal.

Not all caesarean sections are the same as there are several different types. The main differences are related to the deep incision made on the uterus, below the skin and subcutaneous tissue. They should be differentiated from the skin incision, such as a pfannenstiel incision. Read the rest of this entry »