Birth Injury Blog

Archive for the ‘Birth Injury’ Category

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 »

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 »

The birth of a child is a day that every parent remembers for the rest of his or her life. They are also placing an extreme amount of trust in the hands of the medical professionals who handle the birthing process. When something goes wrong and mistakes are made, the results can be devastating, as newborns are extremely vulnerable as they are being born.

If someone makes a mistake when a child is being born, it can lead not only to devastating medical, emotional and financial consequences, but it can also lead to a complicated legal situation should the parents decide to pursue a claim for medical malpractice. Below is a look at some common injuries that occur and the potentially negligent parties involved in a preventable birth injury. Read the rest of this entry »