medical condition known as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy happens when the cells of the spinal cord and brain become damaged because of an inadequate supply of oxygen. If a child experiences this condition during, before, or just following child birth, a type of medical malpractice on the part of the physician could be to blame. The condition of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy occurs in between two to four out of every one thousand births. The condition most commonly happens just before or during the birth. When hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy does occur, the condition can become extremely serious and has the potential to cause permanent, and possibly life threatening damage to the brain.
The statistics surrounding hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy are quite alarming and need to be taken very seriously. It has been found that fifteen to twenty percent of all infants who have been diagnosed with the condition will die while still in the newborn stage. Of the infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy who do survive, permanent neurological issues will be seen in at least twenty five percent. The condition is one of the main causes of learning disabilities, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy.
The process of child birth is one that is quite important in a woman's life. It is during this process that a woman will find it is the only thme when she will have continual and extended contact with her medical professional. Since the process of giving birth is a natural thing, most people who are expecting a child expect that the process will go smoothly without complications or problems. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and complications such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy can occur leaving families devastated and filled with questions as to why the injury happened at all.
The precise reasons why birth injuries, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy happen are not entirely known. There is a great deal of debate in the medical community as to the exact cause of this particular condition and the possibility of whether it can or cannot be prevented and detected before injury occurs to the newborn. Some research data has found that maternal hypotension, umbilical cord complications, abruption placentae, maternal uterine rupture, and other assorted complications can result in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. A child who is affected with this issue can have various types of symptoms including seizures and other signs of brain damage that are not specific.
Since there can be a variety of reasons for birth injuries occurring, and because the condition of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is not completely understood, diagnosis can be difficult. In fact, this condition can be one of the hardest to properly diagnose because there are a number of issues that present similar symptoms. Even though the condition of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is not completely preventable in all cases, the main cause of this serious and often debilitating condition is due to medical negligence.
This condition causes devastation to families in a number of ways. Expectant parents endure nine months of prenatal care and take a number of precautions to ensure their baby is safe and healthy. Having any of type of complication at birth that impacts an otherwise healthy fetus can be quite traumatic. Add to this the stress and worry of having a child that could be permanently disabled or even die because of a birth injury, and the end result is quite sad. If the child is able to survive the injury, parents often must watch their child suffer for a lifetime with debilitating symptoms such as painful seizures, mental retardation issues, and physical impairments.
If all of the physical damage was not bad enough, or hard enough to deal with, parents often feel a great deal of mental anguish because they never fully understand what happened, or why their child suffered such a serious injury at birth. On top of all of these issues, both physical and emotional, there is also usually a large financial toll because of the need for extensive medical treatments and therapies for children that survive.
What is perhaps the most difficult issue to deal with is that the vast majority of cases of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy could have and should have been prevented. These injuries are often due to the negligence on the part of medical professionals which is something that should not be dismissed. Doctors have a duty of care that is owed to all patients and when this is breached in any way, especially in this serious of a manner, action needs to be taken.
If your child has suffered with a birth injury such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and it was the result of a medical professional failing to take proper action or providing adequate treatment for a complication that arose, you need to understand that you have legal rights. Medical professionals can be held liable for the damage that has resulted. Your best course of action is to consult with a personal injury attorney who specializes in the area of medical malpractice and negligence.
A personal injury attorney who specializes in this area of the law is extremely skilled with handling these types of cases and will manage every aspect of your claim from start to finish. He or she will review the details of your case, collect medical records, gather evidence, speak with witnesses, and even arrange for expert testimony if need be. Your attorney will be your very best line of defense when dealing with the teams of legal representatives placed on
staff by doctors and hospitals.
Since most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, you do not have to worry about how to pay for your case as it progresses through the system. You pay nothing upfront, and you do not have to pay until the time your case is settled. With so little to lose and so much to gain, there is no reason to risk missing out on the justice that you so rightly deserve for yourself and your entire family unit.