Category Archives: Premature Birth
Mother Of Twins Dies After C-Section
The C-Section is a procedure that continues to grow in popularity in the United States. Whether it is required in order to prevent birth injuries, or simply done because the mother thinks it will be easier than standard birth, the procedure is not without risks. Mother-to-be Michal Friedman was scheduled for surgery in a Manhattan hospital for November 28, but when doctors found her blood pressure was elevated in her November 27 pre-op appointment, they rescheduled her for a same-day surgery. Doctors performed a C-section on Friedman. After the surgery, she hemorrhaged. As her husband watched, her condition steadily declined, prompting doctors to request he leave the room. At 9:30 p.m., doctors informed him of the death of his wife. C-sections have become so common that many people do not consider that the procedure is a surgical one, and with all surgeries, there are risks. In C-sections, the most common…
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Posted in Birth Defects, Brain Damage, Pregnancy, Premature Birth Tagged Birth Defects, birth injury attorney, brain injuries Comments Off on Mother Of Twins Dies After C-Section
Steroids Help Reduce Preterm Infant Mortality
A newly published study has demonstrated that giving steroids to pregnant women at risk for preterm birth may boost an infant’s chance of survival and reduce the risk of serious developmental issues The study, published in the Dec. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that the current guidelines, which suggest prenatal steroids be administered to women who are at risk for delivering between the 24th and 34th week of pregnancy, can be expanded to the 23rd week. The steroids help the infants with lung development, which increases the odds of survival and reduces the risk of brain injury. Dr. Wally Carlo, director of the division of neonatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, authored the newly published study. “When given as early as 23 weeks, prenatal or antenatal steroids reduce an infant’s risk of death and important developmental issues,” said Dr. Carlo. Currently there…
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More Premature Babies, More Brain Damage
Over 60,000 babies are born each year weighing less than 3.3 pounds. Modern medicine is allowing most premature babies to survive, but many will suffer some form of brain damage. “That means that overall rates of cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental disabilities are on the rise,” says David Rowitch, chief of neonatology at the University of California, San Francisco. According to Rowitch, lack of oxygen is the chief cause of brain injury in premature infants. White matter, where the “communication highways” reside, carrying messages through the brain and to the body, is damaged by oxygen deprivation. Rowitch originally discovered the white matter damage by examining dead infants, but recently has been able to take over 250 premature babies through an MRI by using a special incubator designed to go through the scanner. This allows scientists to detect damage to white matter immediately. Now that scientists can detect the damage, they…
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Posted in Birth Trauma, Brain Damage, Cerebral Palsy, Premature Birth Tagged Birth Defects, birth trauma lawyer, brain injuries, premature babies Comments Off on More Premature Babies, More Brain Damage
