Birth Injuries from Medical Malpractice Can Create a Lifetime of Financial and Emotional Challenges for Victims and …

The Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel & Associates understands that a birth injury can be one of the most devastating events that can happen to a family. Brain injuries are the most serious type of birth injuries. Sometimes these injuries occur not by nature, but as a result of medical negligence. A lack of communication between doctors and nurses, failure to properly monitor a fetal heart rate monitor, or failing to perform a C-Section when necessary, could result in brain damage or Cerebral palsy.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 06, 2012

What most people fail to understand with a severe birth injury is how much the medical costs will be for a family to care for their child. If their child has cerebral palsy for example, this can cost upwards of millions of dollars for the proper care and treatment, states Bruce Fagel. Dr. Fagel has seen the costs of caring for severely injured children rise dramatically during the past decade.

Medical malpractice and birth injuries can occur from lack of blood flow or oxygen to the brain, trauma, or infection. Hospitals use a fetal heart rate monitor, which monitors the condition of the babys heart rate during labor and delivery. Many birth injuries occur because the medical staff fails to correctly interpret the information from the monitor, notify the doctors of a problem, or take immediate and appropriate action when warning signs arise. Birth injuries can also occur if the doctor uses too much force removing the baby from the birth canal, such as the case may be during a difficult delivery when the doctor uses a vacuum or forceps to help the babys head exit the birth canal. When these instruments are improperly used, they can cause direct injuries to the babys head and brain, and even lead to death.

Birth injuries resulting from medical malpractice include:

Cerebral palsy this is one of the most serious birth injuries that a baby may sustain during the labor and delivery process. Cerebral palsy is a term which refers to any number of neurological disorders which permanently affect muscle coordination and body movement. There are different forms of cerebral palsy ranging from mild to severe. Cerebral palsy may be caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, birth trauma, delivery mistakes, premature delivery, and certain infections.

Failure to provide an emergency C-section if necessary when an infant is suffering from significant hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain) prior to birth or delivery, the doctor must act immediately to prevent permanent brain damage to the baby. One procedure that may be required is an emergency cesarean section. When a babys heartbeat drops dramatically during labor, the maximum amount of time a physician can wait to deliver the baby before there is permanent brain damage is 17 minutes.

Kernicterus a type of brain damage that occurs from severe jaundice and elevated bilirubin levels left untreated.

PIH / pregnancy-induced hypertension PIH, preeclampsia or eclampsia, not properly monitored, can cause tragic outcomes to both the mother and child.

For more information please visit birth injury attorney.

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Birth Injuries from Medical Malpractice Can Create a Lifetime of Financial and Emotional Challenges for Victims and ...