Category Archives: Brain Damage
Here’s What You Need to Know About Forceps Injuries
Brain injuries to children during birth are heartbreaking, often resulting in undue stress on both the child and his or her parents. Among the way newborns can suffer brain injuries during birth include the use of forceps during the wrong stage of labor or with unnecessary force. A doctor can harm a child tremendously, giving it a brain injury, bruising, permanent indentations, severe cranial damage, excessive blood loss or cephalohematoma. Some of these injuries, such as subgaleal hemorrhages are fatal and difficult to recognize in newborns. According to the Mayo Clinic, possible risks to forceps use include: Facial injuries due to the pressure Temporary weakness in the facial muscles Minor external eye trauma Skull fracture Bleeding within the skull Seizures Additionally, the use of forceps can hurt a woman during the delivery process, with injuries that can include genital tract tears and wounds, short-term or long-term urinary or fecal incontinence,…
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Botched Water Birth Lawsuit Settled for $13 Million
According to the Oregonian, the parents of a child who was deprived of oxygen for 15 minutes after his botched water birth have settled a lawsuit against their medical provider for $13 million. The news outlet reported the parents settled their birth injury lawsuit with Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, resulting in the largest payout in at least a decade for a birth malpractice case in the state. The child, now 4, is nonverbal and cannot walk. He uses a cart to get around. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which severely limits his motor skills. The parents involved in the lawsuit could not comment on the case with the media, citing a confidentiality agreement, but the Oregonian reported that the case was dismissed in March following the settlement. Court documents indicate that the parents went to the medical center, planning to give birth to the child underwater, with representatives saying…
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Does Maryland Have a Birth Injury Fund?
Updating a blog post we brought you earlier this year, a panel in Maryland has recommended that the state create a fund to help care for babies with suffering neurological injuries during birth. According to the Baltimore Sun, the no-fault fund would be similar to funds setup in Virginia and Florida. It is controversial among patient advocates and malpractice attorneys. The panel was made up of members of the health care industry, according to the newspaper. The General Assembly reported that the fund would help control medical malpractice-related costs for doctors and hospitals. The legislation would let hospitals, doctors with obstetrics and gynecological practices, as well as malpractice insurers, pay annual fees to the birth injury fund, which families could used to pay medical bills, according to the Sun. Many people are worried that the fund would allow healthcare providers to escape blame for negligence. “As I see it, any…
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