Birth Trauma Lawyers that Handle Medical Malpractice During Labor and Delivery
Medical professionals collect blood samples shortly after birth to test for different disorders from nearly every newborn in the United States. The idea is to detect any type of medical condition quickly, enabling doctors to treat and prevent serious birth injuries in a timely manner.
However, according to recent studies, these efforts may be undermined by the inefficiency and, in some cases, negligence of healthcare providers as well as those conducting the screenings for dangerous conditions. This could be yet another reason why birth injury is so prevalent in the United States. The consequences for these mistakes in testing cannot be understated; the lives of children are at stake, which is why newborn screening must improve.
What is Wrong with How Newborn Screening Works?
In some cases, newborns stop breathing days after birth. With others, children may bleed profusely, break out in rashes or will not eat. Parents simply believe the healthcare professionals when they say everything will be fine, but oftentimes the consequences are costly and preventable.
These incidents occur due to a variety of reasons, most of which may be related to the inefficiency of the healthcare provider. Blood samples from newborn babies should be sent to a lab within 24 hours. However, one analysis of almost three million screening tests across 31 states showed that 160,000 blood samples from newborns were late reaching labs. These samples may also sit in hospitals for weeks, or worse, medical professionals will sometimes lose samples. Even worse, samples can take several days to arrive at labs just a few miles away. Hospitals face no consequences for late deliveries of samples to screening labs, so many simply fail to deliver these samples on time.
This is not always the fault of the hospital, though. Many labs are closed on weekends and holidays. This means that babies born late in the week may have their results delayed two or three extra days, which can delay diagnoses. Some newborns endure wrongful death while their blood samples – which could reveal vital information about preventable conditions – sit in labs over the weekend.
Additionally, newborn screening systems are not standardized, and many programs run by the state ignore guidelines. Labs test for different disorders, and some of them do not track how quickly they receive samples from hospitals. Both lab administrators and health officials have worked to keep hospital records hidden from the public.
What Can I Do if Medical Negligence Injured My Child?
If a healthcare provider made a negligent error that caused your child to suffer from a serious condition, such as a cerebral palsy or Erb’s palsy, you can fight back. While our birth trauma lawyers cannot undo the damage caused by hospital negligence, we will do everything in our power to give you the financial resources you need to care for your child.
We believe your child’s life is important, and our birth trauma attorneys have the experience and dedication to hold medical professionals and facilities accountable. We offer free attorney advice, so you have nothing to lose by calling our law office today.
