Sildenafil citrate is the phosphodiesterase-V inhibitor more commonly known as the erectile dysfunction drug, Viagra (1). A recent trial study of sildenafil was performed by Saleish Kumar of the Mater Research Institute at the University of Queensland, Australia. The aim of the study was to reduce the instance of fetal distress during labor. Fetal distress…
Medical professionals who care for newborns must know a great deal about managing neonatal breathing complications. They should be skilled at providing resuscitation, intubation, and other forms of respiratory assistance to infants that require it. Mismanagement of neonatal breathing complications can result in a variety of serious birth injuries, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pneumothorax, hypocarbia,…
In 2018, ABC Law Centers owner Jesse Reiter established the Reiter HIE Research Fund with the goal of supporting research into treatments for infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). He recently contributed an additional $5,000 to this important cause. The Reiter HIE Research Fund supports the work of Dr. John Barks and colleagues at Michigan Medicine,…
Because of major improvements in neonatal healthcare, children who are born prematurely or have birth injuries are much more likely to survive than they were a few decades ago. Researchers have begun to wonder how the incidence of disabilities stemming from birth-related complications has changed over time, and whether this has been impacted by the…
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a type of brain damage caused by a disruption in the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. One of the main populations that it affects is newborns who have experienced birth asphyxia (oxygen deprivation during or near the time of birth) (1). Currently, the most effective treatment for HIE is…
Babies with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) often experience respiratory problems. Because of this, they may require assistance with breathing after birth. This can be done through the urgent method of resuscitation, or the more long-term assistance of inhaled nitric acid, high-frequency ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) (1). These long-term practices are commonly used for neonates…
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a brain injury caused by insufficient oxygenated blood flow to the brain at or near the time of delivery. There are many potential causes of HIE, including high-risk pregnancy conditions, labor and delivery issues, and medical mistakes. Recent studies have sought to find connections between placental and umbilical cord issues and…
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a type of newborn brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation during or around the time of birth, has been linked to a variety of pregnancy conditions. Inna Skarga-Bandurova and colleagues in the Ukraine recently published a study on risk factors for chronic fetal hypoxia (i.e. long-term oxygen deprivation). They analyzed data from…
Recent studies in rats indicate that resveratrol (RESV), a natural polyphenol compound, may be useful in minimizing brain damage from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Studies of resveratrol’s neurological benefits This study, published in November, showed the surprising neuroprotective benefits of resveratrol (1). In the study, 48 seven-day-old rats were broken up into four groups, all of…
Cerebral palsy often stems from medical malpractice around the time of birth (making it a birth injury), and many parents choose to sue the doctors or hospitals that are responsible. Information collected from these legal cases could shed light on the types of medical errors most likely to contribute to a cerebral palsy diagnosis; however,…
