Tag Archives: Birth Defects
FDA Faces Lawsuit Over Thalidomide Documents
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been sued for allegedly failing to turn over documents pertaining to the use and distribution of the morning sickness drug thalidomide. Attorneys filing a birth injury lawsuit against the companies involved with the drug claim they repeatedly requested the documents, but have not received them. The lawsuit the records pertain to claims the defendants withheld evidence proving that the morning sickness drug caused birth defects. The complaint also claims that Smith Kline & French (the predecessor to GlaxoSmithKline) distributed thalidomide to more than 20,000 people even though the drug never received FDA approval. We discussed in a previous blog how it is sometimes difficult to know the full range of side effects for each new drug that is introduced to the market. As unfortunate as it may seem, it can sometimes take a wave of birth defects to indicate a dangerous drug. Sometimes…
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Posted in Birth Defects Tagged Birth Defects, birth injury lawsuit, birth trauma attorneys, FDA Comments Off on FDA Faces Lawsuit Over Thalidomide Documents
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
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
