If your child or baby suffered injury due to birth asphyxia, neonatal asphyxia, intrauterine hypoxia or perinatal asphyxia, you may be entitled to recover financial compensation from a birth asphyxia lawsuit case or settlement claim. Contact a birth asphyxia injury lawyer to request a free case review.
A team of birth injury attorneys and personal injury lawyers is investigating potential birth asphyxia lawsuit cases and settlement claims of families and parents whose children have suffered injuries from birth asphyxia due to birth related medical malpractice or negligence.
Birth asphyxia (a/k/a as neonatal asphyxia, intrauterine hypoxia or perinatal asphyxia) is a medical condition that involves a lack of gas exchange and blood flow to or from a fetus in the period immediately before, during, or after the birth process, resulting in hypoxemia (lack of oxygen) and hypercapnia (accumulation of carbon dioxide)
Without oxygen and nutrients, cells cannot function properly and waste products such as acids can accumulate. If the cells in the baby’s body do not get sufficient oxygen and/or if the cells build up too much waste products, a baby may suffer permanent injury, including potential damage to their brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, bowels or other organs.
An estimated 3 out of 1000 babies suffer from birth asphyxia. Birth asphyxia is one of the leading causes of infant death in the U.S.
Birth Asphyxia Injury Lawsuit Cases
Birth asphyxia lawsuit and settlement cases potentially being investigated include claims of families and parents of babies who, due to possible medical malpractice or negligence, suffered permanent injuries or complications from birth asphyxia, including:
- Severe brain injury
- Cerebral palsy
- Mental retardation
- Periventricular leukomalacia
- Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE)
- Intraventricular hemorrhage
- Developmental delays
- Epilepsy
- Hypoxic ischaemic organ damage
- Nephropathy (kidney disease)
- Cardiomyopathy (heart disease)
- Cognitive impairment
- Impaired hearing
- Impaired vision
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Epilepsy
- Attention deficits (ADHD)
- Hyperactivity
- Schizophrenia
- Central nervious system injury
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cardiac arrest
- Death
- Other birth asphyxia cases
- Other birth injury lawsuits
There are two stages of birth asphyxia injury. The first stage of birth asphyxia injury occurs almost immediatedly when blood flow is low and the body’s cells do not receive sufficient oxygen. The second stage of birth asphyxia injury (known as reperfusion injury) occurs after the brain begins receiving normal blood and oxygen flows, at which time the toxins and waste products that accumulated in the damaged cells are released into the body over the course of days or weeks.
Birth Asphyxia Medical Malpractice Claims
Birth asphyxia can be caused by a variety of complications occurring before, during or after the birth delivery, including, among others:
- Failure to deliver a baby quickly (prolonged labor)
- Baby’s airway blocked
- Rupture of the mother’s membranes
- Umbilical cord injuries
- Placental complications
- Placental abruption
- Uterine rupture injury
- Placenta previa
- Infection in baby or mother
- Premature birth
- Not enough oxygen in the mother’s blood
- Delayed C-Sections
- High risk pregnancies
- Fetal stroke
- Fetal distress
- Inadequate relaxation of uterus due to excess oxytocin
- Excessive maternal sedation (anesthesia)
- Baby’s blood cells unable to carry enough oxygen (anemia)
- Brain trauma
- Head trauma
- Shoulder dystocia
- Forcep delivery injury
- Vacuum extractor injury
- Brain bleed
- Fetal macrosomia
- Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS)
- Abnormal fetal position/presentation
- Other medical malpractice claims
Birth asphyxia risk factors include, among other things, maternal age, multiple births, maternal hypertension or hypotension, fetal anemia, premature birth or post-term birth, prolonged labor, maternal infections, prolonged rupture of membranes, meconium stained fluid, lack of antenatal care, low birth weight infant, malpresentation, use of medications (such as oxytocin), hemorrhage, preeclampsia, eclampsia and history of prior neonatal death.
Birth Asphyxia Negligence
Birth asphyxia malpractice lawsuit and settlement cases can include the failure of a doctor, physician or other medical provider to exercise reasonable care in diagnosing, treating, preventing and/or refraining from causing birth asphyxia injuries, including, for example:
- Failing to carefully monitor baby
- Failing to timely identify birth asphyxia complications
- Failing to promptly diagnose birth asphyxia complications
- Failing to make sure baby receives sufficient oxygen
- Failing to promptly treat baby
- Failing to diagnose or treat birth asphyxia
- Failing to identify and monitor risk factors of birth asphyxia
- Failing to timely deliver baby via C-section or vaginal delivery
- Failure to order appropriate tests
- Failing to provide sufficient prenatal care
- Other forms of medical negligence
Birth Asphyxia Signs, Symptoms or Complications
Birth asphyxia signs, symptoms and complications can include, among others:
- Lack of breathing (apnea)
- Slow, weak or irregular breathing
- Too much acid in blood (acidosis)
- Abnormal fetal heartbeat
- Circulatory or respiratory distress
- Skin color of baby is blue or pale
- Low heart rate immediately after birth
- Low blood pressure
- Weak cry or delayed cry
- Poor reflexes
- Low muscle tone
- Not moving or limpness
- Lack of energy (lethargic)
- Not responding to stimulation
- Meconium stains in amniotic fluid
- Seizures
- Coma
- Organ failure
- Not peeing
- Blood clotting abnormalities
- Low APGAR score
- Hypoxia (mild or severe oxygen deficiency)
- pH-values below 7
- Other birth asphyxia symptoms, signs or complications
Birth Asphyxia Treatment
Birth asphyxia treatments can include, among others, the following:
- Mechanical breathing assistance
- High-frequency oscillatory ventilation
- Emergency cesarean-section delivery
- Emergency vaginal delivery
- Nitric oxide
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Extracorporeal life support (ECLS)
- Hypothermia (cooling treatment)
- Dialysis (for kidney support)
- Medication for seizures and blood pressure
- IV nutrition
- Other birth asphyxia treatment
Time Is Limited To File A Birth Asphyxia Lawsuit. Connect With a Birth Asphyxia Injury Lawyer.
Deadlines known as statutes of limitation and statutes of repose may limit the amount of time that parents, families and other claimants have to file a birth asphyxia lawsuit case to try to recover compensation for injuries due to birth asphyxia.
This means that if a birth asphyxia injury lawsuit claim is not filed before the applicable time limit or deadline, the claimant may be barred from ever taking legal action or pursuing litigation regarding the birth asphyxia injury claim. That is why it is important to connect with a birth asphyxia injury lawyer or attorney as soon as possible.
If your child has suffered from a birth related injury due to birth asphyxia, neonatal asphyxia, intrauterine hypoxia or perinatal asphyxia, you may be entitled to recover compensation from a birth asphyxia lawsuit or settlement. Contact a birth asphyxia injury lawyer to request a free case review.
*If your child is experiencing health issues or complications, we urge you to promptly consult with your doctor or physician for an evaluation.
**The listing of a company or product is not meant to state or imply that the company acted illegally or improperly or that the product is unsafe or defective; rather only that an investigation may be, is or was being conducted to determine whether legal rights have been violated.
***The use of any trademarks, tradenames or service marks is solely for product identification and/or informational purposes.
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