Category Archives: Brain Damage
Study Finds Mild Infections Do Not Increase Cerebral Palsy Risk
The medical community is continuously searching for factors that increase the risk of a child developing cerebral palsy. There are concerns that infections in a mother may raise the risk of cerebral palsy, but a new study has found that common colds and stomach flu are not tied to the birth defect. One of the study’s authors said that other more serious infections and factors like a woman’s history of miscarriage or a family history of cerebral palsy were associated with increased risk to babies, but even then, the risk was low. Pre-term birth, growth restrictions inside the uterus and being a twin or part of a larger set of multiples also increased the risk, as well as severe maternal infections. With 10,000 babies in the United States being born a year developing cerebral palsy, the continuing search for causes is likely to continue. The most significant infections linked to…
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Posted in Birth Trauma, Brain Damage, Cerebral Palsy Tagged cerebral palsy, cerebral palsy lawyer Comments Off on Study Finds Mild Infections Do Not Increase Cerebral Palsy Risk
Blanket Puts The Chill On Infant Brain Damage
While a new technique called therapeutic hypothermia might sound a little scary, it is giving hope to infants at risk for brain injury where there have not been many options. Doctors have started wrapping at-risk newborns in cooling blankets to prevent brain damage, and it is proving to be quite effective. The cooling wraps circulate water that keeps the baby’s arms and trunk area at 33.5 degrees, down from the standard 37 degrees. They are kept at this temperature for 3 days, after which they are slowly warmed back up over a 24-hour period. The cooling blanket can reduce the chance of brain injury by 25 percent. Doctors still do not know why lowering body temperature slows damage to the brain, but the theory is that lower temperature slows the rate at which damage can occur. According to Dr. Amit Mathur, neonatal ICU medical director at St. Louis Children’s Center,…
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Posted in Birth Trauma, Brain Damage Tagged Birth Defects, birth injury, birth trauma lawyer Comments Off on Blanket Puts The Chill On Infant Brain Damage
Young Boy With Cerebral Palsy Gets First Bicycle
5-year-old Espin Faber from Algona, Iowa has received a very special gift. Espin got his first bicycle. But it isn’t just any bicycle. Espin was diagnosed with triplegic cerebral palsy when he was 15 months old, a condition often associated with birth defects. The bike that Espin received is called an Amtryke, and is specially designed so that Espin will be able to ride on it safely. The bike was donated to him by the AMBUCS club—which is based in Grapevine, Texas—and is therapeutic and will allow Espin to exercise both his arms and legs. “It will strengthen his legs and give him the strength he needs in order to walk,” his mother Tiffany said. “He will be able to use his bike on trips where there is room to ride. It will allow him to do more things.” This donation makes a huge difference to this young boy and…
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Posted in Birth Defects, Birth Trauma, Brain Damage, Cerebral Palsy Tagged Birth Defects, cerebral palsy lawyer Comments Off on Young Boy With Cerebral Palsy Gets First Bicycle
