Shortly after birth, medical professionals assess a baby’s health using a scoring system called the Apgar scale. An Apgar score is one diagnostic method used to determine whether an infant is in need of medical intervention. A recent publication by researchers at the Karolinksa Institutet in Sweden indicates that an infant’s Apgar score can also…
Babies that have sustained oxygen-depriving injuries (perinatal asphyxia) during the birthing process can benefit greatly from prompt administration of hypothermia therapy. Cooling an injured newborn to a below-normal temperature can give brain cells a chance to repair themselves, which stops the damage from spreading and becoming permanent. Hypothermia therapy can prevent or decrease the severity…
Every day, our nurses and attorneys receive calls from expectant mothers with concerns about symptoms they’re experiencing during their pregnancy. They’re curious if their symptoms are normal, and they wonder what their next steps should be. Patients should always visit a medical professional with concerns like these and receive appropriate care for maternal-fetal conditions and…
In our previous article, we discussed a recent study that found a connection between severity of seizures and neonatal severity of injury. At Reiter & Walsh, P.C., we have won many successful cases where severe birth injuries caused brain injuries that resulted in severe seizures and seizure disorders. As the study reiterated, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy…
According to the Journal of Patient Safety, preventable medical errors cause at least 210,000 deaths per year. Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America, behind heart disease and cancer. Unfortunately, mistakes made in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) represent a significant part of those numbers. The Archives of Disease in…
A 2015 clinical trial found that treatment for severe and moderate neonatal seizures can reduce the impact of cumulative electrographic seizure burden in infants born with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). This American Academy of Pediatrics trial used EEG video (video to monitor brain activity) and standard medication for neonatal seizures to reduce the impact. The…
A new University of Michigan Health System study, Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial (ESETT), will compare three drugs that treat seizures in patients. The study aims to reduce brain damage and increase the likelihood of patient survival during prolonged and dangerous seizures. For years, doctors have tried different methods to stop severe seizures in adults…
A little boy recently received an $8.45 million verdict from a hospital that caused him to have hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebral palsy, developmental delays and seizures when the medical team failed to perform an emergency C-section when he was in distress and then failed to give him a breathing tube right after birth.
Neonatal asphyxia occurs when an unborn baby doesn’t get enough oxygen. This can be due to many factors, including umbilical cord compression or prolapse, excessive contractions, or issues related to medical malpractice (like a physician’s failure to appropriately handle fetal distress). Neonatal asphyxia can cause a severe lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain, which…
Delayed Post-Term Delivery Results in Birth Asphyxia with Infant Brain Damage, Seizures, HIE and Cerebral Palsy A new mother was 15 days past her due date when her obstetrician finally decided to induce labor. During labor, the baby’s heart rate dropped dangerously low, but nobody on the medical team recognized the non-reassuring heart tracing, which was…
