Category Archives: Birth Trauma
Nerve Transfers Prevent Disability After Birth Injury, Study Says
A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says that certain surgeries, if performed immediately after nerve damage occurs, can prevent serious injury later on. “If we get these patients late, any nerve surgery is less likely to work,” said Steve K. Lee, lead author of the study. Lee also is the research director at the Center for Brachial Plexus and Traumatic Nerve Injury at Hospital for Special Surgery. “A big thrust of this paper is to get the information out there that we need to see these patients earlier for better outcomes.” Hope for Birth Trauma Victims This information is especially relevant for the parents of newborns who may have sustained nerve damage at birth. A group of nerves near the neck and shoulders called the brachial plexus is responsible for controlling limb movement. If the baby’s neck is pulled or twisted during…
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How Jaundice Led to Cerebral Palsy
Earlier this week we wrote about “The House of Gort,” a 16-minute documentary that features a family with special needs children. All three children were born with jaundice due to their parents’ incompatible blood type, and medical errors caused one daughter to develop cerebral palsy. What is Jaundice? Jaundice occurs when the body fails to expel bilirubin, a waste chemical produced by a reaction inside the liver. It is very common in newborns; the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation says that 90 percent of newborns experience some degree of jaundice in the first few days following birth. Jaundice occurs because the baby must start using its liver for the first time. Until birth, the placenta does the liver’s job. Jaundice Treatments Doctors commonly use a light treatment called phototherapy to balance out the bilirubin. Most babies respond positively to the treatment. Gina, the mother in the film, says phototherapy was effective…
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Posted in Birth Trauma Tagged bilirubin, birth trauma lawyer, brain damage, cerebral palsy, exchange transfusion, jaundice, the house of gort Comments Off on How Jaundice Led to Cerebral Palsy
New Study IDs Premature Birth Risks
Researchers in Australia have identified several factors that may put pregnant women at risk of a premature birth. According to the study led by Gustaaf Dekker, MD, Ph.D at the University of Adelaide, women may give birth early if they: Smoke marijuana Have a history of vaginal bleeding Have mothers with a history of pre-eclampsia Have mothers with diabetes Have high blood pressure Are very thin (body mass index under 20) Have a family history of babies with low birth weights Have a short cervix “Better understanding the risk factors involved in preterm birth moves us another step forward in potentially developing a test – genetic or otherwise – that will help us to predict with greater accuracy the risk of preterm birth,” Dekker said. “Our ultimate aim is to safeguard the lives of babies and their health in the longer term.” Dekker studied 3,234 women, and nearly 5 percent…
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Posted in Birth Trauma, Cerebral Palsy Tagged birth injury, cerebral palsy lawyers, cerebral palsy risk factors, premature birth, preterm birth, traumatic birth Comments Off on New Study IDs Premature Birth Risks
