If your baby was injured after inhaling or breathing meconium (fecal matter or stool) into the lungs during birth, you and your child may be entitled to recover compensation from a meconium aspiration syndrome lawsuit case or settlement claim. Contact a birth injury lawyer to request a free case review.
A team of birth injury attorneys and personal injury lawyers is investigating meconium aspiration syndrome lawsuit cases and settlement claims involving babies who suffered from meconium aspiration syndrome and/or injury from breathing or inhaling meconium into their lungs during the birthing process.
Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS or neonatal aspiration of meconium) is a serious condition where a newborn baby breathes or inhales meconium (fecal matter or stool of the baby) into the lungs at the time of delivery. A fetus produces meconium in the intestine before birth. If a baby experiences fetal stress, he or she may pass the meconium while in the uterus where it can mix with the amniotic fluid, which can then be inhaled shortly before, during or after birth.
Unfortunately, neonatal aspiration of meconium is a leading cause of serious illness and death in newborn babies. It has been estimated that about 25 percent of all babies may have meconium present in the amniotic fluid at birth. It has also been estimated that meconium aspiration syndrome occurs in approximately 5-10 percent of all births.
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome Lawsuit
Meconium aspiration syndrome lawsuit and settlement cases potentially being investigated include claims of families and parents of babies who, due to possible medical malpractice or negligence, suffered from meconium aspiration syndrome and/or injury from breathing or inhaling meconium into the lungs during labor and delivery, including:
- Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS)
- Fetal Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
- Meconium Aspiration Pneumonitis
- Brain damage due to lack of oxygen
- Cerebral palsy
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
- Inflammation of lungs
- Infection
- Periventricular leukomalacia
- Respiratory problems
- Chronic lung disease
- Lung collapse or rupture
- Pneumothorax
- Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN)
- Hearing loss
- Death
- Other meconium aspiration syndrome lawsuit claim
- Other birth injury lawsuit cases
Meconium Aspiration Medical Malpractice Claims
Meconium aspiration syndrome medical malpractice lawsuit and settlement cases can include the failure of a doctor or physician to exercise reasonable care in diagnosing, treating, preventing and/or refraining from causing meconium related complications and injuries, including, for example:
- Failure to carefully monitor fetus
- Failure to timely identify meconium complications
- Failure to promptly diagnose meconium aspiration syndrome
- Failure to properly suction out meconium
- Failure to make sure baby gets enough oxygen
- Failure to take immediate action to treat baby
- Failure to diagnose or treat fetal distress
- Failure to timely deliver baby via C-section
- Misreading a sonogram
- Failure to provide adequate prenatal care
- Other medical malpractice injury claims
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome Signs & Symptoms
Meconium aspiration syndrome signs and symptoms can include:
- Meconium in amniotic fluid (amniotic liquor)
- Meconium staining on the vocal cords via laryngoscope
- Meconium liquor
- Meconium-stained liquor
- Difficulty breathing
- Rapid breathing
- Abnormal breath sounds
- Fetal apnea
- Bluish or greenish skin color (cyanosis)
- Dark or greenish stain of amniotic fluid
- Limpness in baby
- Slow heart rate
- Low blood acidity
- Low blood pressure
- Decreased oxygen levels
- Increased carbon dioxide levels
- Patchy or streaky areas on lungs
- Prolonged labor
- Past the due date pregnancy
- Long baby nails
- Yellow nails
- Fetal distress
- Low Apgar score
- Other meconium aspiration syndrome symptoms or signs
Meconium is composed of intestinal epithelial cells, lanugo, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile and water and can be sticky like tar. If it is green, brown or black in color and thick, it could indicate fetal distress.
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome Treatment
Meconium aspiration syndrome treatment can include suctioning a newborn’s nose, throat and mouth (such as using a DeLee suction apparatus), insertion of tube in the baby’s windpipe or trachea to suction out meconium, admission to special care nursery or neonatal intenstive care unit (NICU), antiobiotics to treat infection, breathing machine or ventilator to help breathing, oxygen therapy to make sure the blood has enough oxygen, high-frequency oscillation (HFO), warmers, tapping the chest, surfacant therapy, rescue therapy using nitric oxide, and using saline solution to wash away the airway, among others.
Time Is Limited To File A Meconium Aspiration Injury Lawsuit. Connect With a Birth 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 meconium aspiration syndrome lawsuit case to try to recover compensation for meconium related birth injuries or complications.
This means that if a meconium aspiration syndrome 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 meconium aspiration syndrome birth injury claim. That is why it is important to connect with a meconium aspiration syndrome birth injury lawyer or attorney as soon as possible.
If your baby was injured after inhaling or breathing in meconium during birth, you may be entitled to recover compensation from a meconium aspiration syndrome lawsuit or settlement. Contact a birth injury lawyer to request a free case review.
*If you or 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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