New York Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Lawyers

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a brain injury that occurs when a baby doesn’t get enough oxygen at birth. Many risk factors and labor and delivery complications can cause a baby to become oxygen-deprived. It’s crucial that medical staff monitor the baby properly for any signs of distress. If medical staff do not address risk factors or complications in time, it could lead to HIE.

HIE and Medical Malpractice

HIE can be caused by numerous factors, but it can be a preventable injury. Unfortunately, an HIE diagnosis is commonly associated with medical malpractice. Doctors and other medical staff may not correctly follow standards of care and consequently make an error during pregnancy, birth, and/or delivery.

Getting Legal Help in New York

Not only is a birth injury emotionally difficult for a parent, but the added financial costs from the additional care their child needs can be overwhelming. A birth injury lawsuit can obtain justice on behalf of your child and also secure the financial compensation they need to ensure they’re taken care of for the rest of their life. However, there is a time limit to file a lawsuit, known as the statute of limitations.

It’s important to speak with a birth injury attorney as soon as malpractice is suspected. The statute of limitations varies state-by-state and even by facility, with some states leaving as little as two years from the date of the child’s injury to file a suit for them as a minor. The statute can also vary depending on what kind of facility the malpractice or negligence occurred in.  In New York, the statute of limitations is 10 years.

Additionally, birth injury lawsuits can take years to litigate. It’s crucial to find an attorney that only handles birth injury. The complexity of the medical records and the law requires experience and the right network of experts.

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Dealing with a hypoxic-ischeemic encephalopathy diagnosis can be difficult, but our attorneys can help. Call us when you’re ready.

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Signs of HIE

It can be difficult to recognize if your child’s HIE diagnosis was due to malpractice. Additionally, it can look different based on each individual case. However, there are numerous risk factors for HIE. We commonly find the following complications and conditions present in HIE cases:

HIE may be noticeable when a newborn baby does not feed or has seizures, but in other cases, it may not be so apparent. Head imaging like MRIs or CT scans identify the extent and duration of the injury. Newborns suspected of HIE will usually need critical care in a neonatal intensive unit (NICU), specific treatment like head cooling (hypothermia therapy), and will typically have head imaging done.

About ABC Law Centers

ABC Law Centers (Reiter & Walsh, P.C.) exclusively handles birth injury cases. Our unique focus means that we have a thorough knowledge of the complex medical aspects of birth trauma cases. Our firm has a network of renowned medical, economic and forensics experts at our side, and our attorneys have been consistently recognized for their work in birth injury. We do not charge any fees for the entire legal process unless we win.