Baby & Pediatric Malpractice
Hypoxia and Birth Asphyxia
Pediatric Malpractice can affect your baby before or during their birth. Hypoxia and Birth Asphyxia refer to either availability of oxygen to the baby which can occur during or following labor and delivery and which can irreversibly damage an infant’s brain, lungs, eyes and gastrointestinal tract. Low amniotic fluid, low blood pressure of the mother, shock, placental abruption and compression of the umbilical cord can all result in oxygen deprivation to your baby. A baby who suffers from hypoxia or birth asphyxia may have a diminished quality and length of life. This traumatic baby brain injury could bankrupt a family with ongoing medical costs.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Baby and Pediatric Malpractice can occur in the recognition of head trauma in a child. Traumatic brain injury can be caused from common childhood things such as falls, sports injuries, bicycle accidents, motor vehicle accidents or from surgery and anesthesia in children.
Brain injury in children may not always be immediately recognized and treated by all Pediatricians. Unfortunately a delay in recognition and treatment of a traumatic infant brain injury in a baby by a Pediatrician can lead to significant problems with thinking, speaking and movement as the child develops and grows.
Shoulder Dystocia
Shoulder dystocia refers to the inability of an infant to pass one or both shoulders freely through the birth canal. Shoulder dystocia is not always capable of being recognized until it occurs. However, some factors which can be relative predictors of shoulder dystocia, include a larger than average baby, small pelvis of the mother, prior deliveries and gestational diabetes. When shoulder dystocia is encountered, its immediate recognition and proper obstetrical maneuvers and management are crucial to the future health of the child. Shoulder dystocia can result in nerve injury to the arm and shoulder which may be permanent, hypoxia and birth asphyxia and brain injury if mechanical efforts are required (forceps, vacuum) to assist in extraction of the infant.
Misdiagnosis of Cancer and Diseases
Baby and Pediatric Malpractice can occur in the recognition of cancer and other childhood diseases. Children can and do get cancers and they may require the same treatment as adults who are diagnosed with the diesease, ie. chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. For small children, even a missed diagnosis of childhood diseases such as chicken pox could result in life-threatening complications. The choice of: medical management; testing and monitoring; or, a procedure for a baby or a child, all come down to Pediatrician judgment. Any error in a doctor’s judgment can result in the improper treatment of an infant or child and can lead to further complications, additional illness and potentially, death. The Lewis Law Firm can help determine if there was a misdiagnosis made relative to your child.
If you believe that your infant or child was the victim of Baby or Pediatric Malpractice please contact the Lewis Law Firm today. For more information on Baby and Pediatric Malpractice read the Lewis Law Firm blog.