10 Things Your Competitors Teach You About Birth Injury Case Evaluation
Birth Injury Case Evaluation
Parents of children who suffer from preventable birth injuries are faced with astronomical medical expenses, difficult therapies, and permanent disabilities. Medical malpractice claims can help to reduce financial burdens and provide justice.
To be successful in a claim attorneys must show that the hospitals or doctors did not follow accepted standards of care during the labor and delivery. This is usually accomplished by an exhaustive examination of medical records or expert witness testimony.
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral Palsy Also known as cerebral palsy, is a permanent disability resulted from an injury to the central nervous system. This can occur during pregnancy (perinatal), or in the early years of childhood. It can affect a wide range body movements, and the severity of the condition can range from mild to severe. The condition's symptoms change with age, but it is not progressive.
In contrast to other conditions, it is not a testable condition. A thorough and comprehensive evaluation will help medical professionals determine if a child's illness is due to cerebral palsy. This includes a full neurological and mobility evaluation.
The examinations will focus on the child's muscle tone and balance, as well as their reflexes and ability to move. Musculoskeletal exams can reveal hip dislocations, scoliosis and contractures. Additionally a speech and language evaluation can reveal a child's stage of intellectual development as well as speech production.
Cerebral Palsy is diagnosed using neuroimaging, which allows doctors to see the brain in great detail. It is a noninvasive method to determine the severity of brain injury. However, it does not permit doctors to predict the impact of this injury on the child's symptoms.
Children may not be diagnosed with cerebral palsy until they are several years old, as symptoms can vary. The classification of a condition by severity, topographic location, and muscle tone could be useful in determining a child's level of impairment and impacting the treatment.
The most effective treatment options for Cerebral Palsy include physical and occupational therapy. They can aid in improving a child's mobility and reduce the risk of joint deformities like scoliosis. Additionally, speech therapy and the use of adaptive equipment can assist with daily activities and allow him or her to be more social with family members and others. There are a variety of financial aid options available depending on the specific circumstances that lead to a child's condition. There are also charity groups and foundations who can help alleviate the burden of paying for treatment and medical care.
Brachial Plexus Injury
A brachial plexus injury claim Lawyer is the result of an injury to the five nerves that branch off from the spinal cord at the neck and transmit signals from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm and hand. There is a brachial plexus on both sides of the body. Some infants can recover without treatment but the majority will benefit from occupational and physical therapy. A smaller group of infants may require surgery to get satisfactory results.
A baby who has an injury to the brachial area can be diagnosed by their primary physician in light of their medical history and physical exam. A doctor may also order special imaging tests, such as an MRI or CT scan or nerve conduction study, although these tests are not as reliable for babies. Doctors can also test the strength and mobility of the muscles of a child's arms by performing gentle exercises for range of motion that help them track recovery over time.
The symptoms of a plexus injury vary depending on the severity of the injury and the nerves are affected. Symptoms can include weakness of the arm, muscle movement, and diminished sensation (feeling) in the hand. Most often, the symptoms affect just one side of the body, but sometimes both sides are affected equally.
Neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP) is the most frequent cause of a birth injury that affects the brachial plexus however, it can be caused by other causes. Babies who are large, have a breech position or are forced to pull during birth could be more at risk of a brachial plexus injury attorney near me. This type of injury is also common for athletes who engage in contact sports, such as football, and from blunt trauma.
NBPP can be identified at an early age, usually within six to eight weeks following birth. Most children recover without treatment, but those who don't improve within a month have to be evaluated by an expert team. These teams usually consist of a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, a physiatrist, and a physical therapy.
Erb's Palsy
The brachial plexus (pronounced brake-ee-al) is a collection of nerves that run from the spinal cord to the shoulder, then down the arm into the hand. If this nerve group are damaged during delivery, it may cause weakness or paralysis in the affected arm. Erb's palsy is the most commonly reported kind. It is caused by a significant stretching or tear of the upper brachial plexus nerves in the labor and birth.
A doctor can identify Erb palsy through physical examination of the baby's hand. The doctor will look lawyer for injurys near me a lack of movement in the affected arm, a weak wrist and a lack of Moro reflex (the infant's involuntary reaction to a loss of head support). The health care professional may also recommend an imaging test, like an ultrasound or X-ray, or a nerve test such as an electromyogram, or an examination of nerve conduction.
In many cases, Erb's paralysis is the result of an untrained clinician applying too much lateral traction the baby during a forceps delivery. This kind of traction can be decreased by using an earlier second stage of labor or having the mother lie on her back for a portion of the delivery. A doctor can also help reduce the chance of this kind of injury by having the baby delivered via C-section.
Several other types of injuries to the brachial system can occur in addition to Erb's palsy. Klumpke palsy is a more serious form of this condition that causes injuries to the nerves of the lower brachial plexus. This type of injury is usually called a "waiter's tip" posture because the limb is hung by the side and is rotated medially bent, pronated and extended at the wrist.
If your child is diagnosed with any of these conditions it is crucial to talk with an attorney for medical malpractice right away. Beth has more than 18 years of specialized experience in labor and delivery and can assist in determining whether the medical professional who treated your child committed acts of negligence that could have resulted in these injuries that could have been prevented.
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) is also known as hypoxic brain damage, happens when a birth defect reduces blood and oxygen supply to the infant. HIE is a serious disorder that can cause permanent severe brain damage. The effects of HIE can range from mild to severe, and they usually begin within a few weeks after birth. HIE is one of the conditions that belong to a larger group of birth-related injuries called neonatal encephalopathy (NE).
An infant may develop HIE from complications during the labor and birth process, such as excessive bleeding in the mother's blood vessels as well as a breech birth, an extended labor and delivery, or a forceps delivery. It's possible that a newborn might be suffering from an underlying condition such as a low birth weight that could lead to HIE.
To determine if a child has HIE doctors will look at the infant's APGAR score and search for signs of neurological impairment. A low APGAR score may indicate the need for medical intervention. Doctors may also use tests on blood to determine acid build-up in the umbilical cord which can indicate that a baby has suffered from an oxygen deficiency or a decreased flow of blood to the brain.
If the child is suspected to have HIE, doctors will often try to combat it with a treatment known as therapeutic hypothermia. During this treatment the child is swaddled in a cooling blanket and given medicine to aid in sleep. During the cooling process, doctors continuously keep track of the heart rate, breathing status and body temperature, in addition to brain activity.
Once a baby has been fully warmed up and re-warmed, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan will be performed. MRIs are the best way to identify HIE and its injury attorney pattern. An MRI may show a time frame for the injury, which could be helpful in determining if a child's symptoms are due to HIE.
If you are diagnosed with HIE infants should be monitored closely for the rest of their lives. They will see a neurologist and neonatologist, and they might be treated with physical, speech, and occupational therapy to treat their symptoms. The aim is to assist these children achieve their full potential, and to make them as healthy as they can.