Filing Medical Malpractice Claim for Birth Injury

The birth of a child is an exciting phase for the couple as well as their families. However, a birth injury can turn the excitement and happiness into trauma. It is the duty of the doctor to keep the patient safe. However, when health care providers make poor medical decisions or act negligently during the birth process, the child or mother can be harmed. In case a child suffers a birth-related injury, you can speak to the dependable medical malpractice attorney about the claim.

Kinds of Birth Injuries

Before you file a suit for the claim for a birth injury, it is essential to have knowledge about the types of birth injuries. Birth injuries can occur during labor as well as delivery. The list if the birth injuries include:

  • Brachial Plexus Injury

    This type of condition occurs when the upper arm sustains an injury in the upper arm during delivery. This might result in the weakness in the arm as well as the inability of the infant to use the specific arm muscles.

  • Erb’s Palsy

    It is a nerve injury that can happen within the branchial plexus and cause weakness, numbness, and loss of motion in the arms of the newborn. Most of the infants recover through surgery or physical therapy.
  • Fractures During birth, the clavicle of the infant is susceptible to fracture. This might be due to the failure to identify the delivery complications.

  • Caput Succedaneum

    It refers to the situation when there is swelling on the scalp of an infant. It is often caused due to vacuum extraction delivery or pressure to the head during delivery.

  • Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

    During delivery, the pressure to the body of the infant can cause the blood vessels in the eyes to rupture. This results in red patches within the white part of the infant’s eye.

  • Cerebral Palsy

    During the birthing process, cerebral palsy can be caused to the infant by infant infections, maternal infections, oxygen deprivation and infant stroke. It has the potential to affect the mobility, posture as well as the balance of child and cause several cognitive issues.

  • Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of Newborn

    It happens when there is an interruption in the circulation to the fetus. The infant is not able to breathe properly. It might cause due to untreated infection in the mother, unnecessary cesarean section delivery or ingestion of dangerous medication by the mother during pregnancy.

  • Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy

    During labor and delivery when the brain of an infant does not receive enough oxygen it results in HIE. The infant might experience cerebral palsy, brain damage, epilepsy, brain cell death, developmental issues, and fatality.

Some birth-related injuries cannot be helped; however, few are caused due to the negligence. A hospital might be held for the birth injuries of the infant in case the facility failed to

  • Perform the required clinical tests
  • Follow the accepted medical standard of care at the time of labor as well as delivery
  • Keep the accurate medical records for infant and mother
  • Investigate the credentials of attending physician to perform delivery
  • Monitor the infant and mother accurately during labor and delivery

In case your child or another person’s child has suffered any birth-related injury, consider contacting a skilled Miami medical malpractice lawyer. The expert would help obtain the compensation to help cover in-home medical care, therapy, or additional services/treatment your child might require.