My baby had a brain hemorrhage. Is it possible my physician made an error?
Yes, if your baby experienced a brain hemorrhage around the time of birth, it could indicate that a medical error was made. Brain hemorrhages (also known as intracranial hemorrhages or brain bleeds) can be the result of mismanaged obstetrical complications, misuse of delivery assistance tools, or other medical mistakes. Because brain hemorrhages are associated with medical malpractice, it is wise to contact a birth trauma attorney as soon as possible after a baby suffers a brain hemorrhage. Medical malpractice attorneys focusing on birth injuries can help determine if negligence caused the brain hemorrhage and identify the negligent party.
Physician Error and Neonatal Brain Hemorrhage
Medical mistakes, deviations from care standards, unskilled medical personnel and medical inexperience can all cause an infant brain hemorrhage. In this section, we’ll list a few of the complications and instances of medical negligence that can cause intracranial hemorrhages in a baby.
- Prolonged and arrested labor: Prolonged labor can be very traumatic for a child. This can occur when a baby is very large (macrosomic), when the baby is not in the normal presentation (for instance, breech, brow or face presentation), and when the mother’s pelvis is too small for the baby (cephalopelvic disproportion). Many conditions can cause prolonged labor and, oftentimes, physicians fail to order C-section delivery when it is medically necessary. During the extended vaginal labor and attempted delivery, the physician may use Pitocin or Cytotec to try and speed up delivery, or vacuum extractors and forceps may be used to try and facilitate delivery. All of these actions can cause a traumatic injury to the head with resultant brain hemorrhaging.
- Fetal oxygen deprivation: Oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) can also cause brain hemorrhages. Therefore, it is imperative that physicians closely monitor the baby’s heart rate during labor and delivery. If any sign of fetal distress occurs (which is a sign of hypoxia) the baby should be delivered immediately, usually by emergency C-section.
Due to the potential for brain damage, it is critical that physicians use the utmost skill and care in delivering a baby in order to avoid brain bleeding. When brain hemorrhages occur, they must be promptly diagnosed and treated because bleeding in the brain can cause permanent disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and seizure disorders.
Legal Help for Birth Trauma and Brain Hemorrhages
If your loved one suffered a brain hemorrhage around the time of birth, we encourage you to reach out to our legal team. Our Detroit, Michigan birth injury attorneys will provide you with a free case review in order to determine if negligence caused the brain hemorrhage. You may contact our team in whichever way best suits your needs:
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