Tag Archives: birth trauma
Medical Malpractice Leading to Cerebral Palsy
After deliberating for a day and a half, a jury in Ohio recently found a doctor liable for medical malpractice and awarded a family $13.9 million. The family’s lawsuit centered around the daughter, 10-year-old Haley. Her mother went in for a non-stress test in January of 2000. The doctor on trial told her that she had a low heart rate and suggested that he induce labor in order to increase her heart rate. After inducing labor, the doctor decided not to perform a Cesarean section, a decision that caused Haley not to receive enough oxygen. The lack of oxygen then led to Haley’s brain injury and cerebral palsy. An expert witness for the family also testified that Haley suffered injuries after the medically induced contractions and the use of a vacuum during her delivery. The doctor who delivered Haley testified that she never considered performing a C-section because there was…
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Autism Linked to Premature Birth in Recent Clinical Study
A study published in the medical journal, Pediatrics, indicates that premature babies, or underweight babies, are at a greater risk for autism. Researchers at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted the study. Babies born before 33 weeks of pregnancy were classified as premature by the researchers for the purpose of the study. Babies born under five pounds were considered underweight. The researchers studied 565 children diagnosed with autism that were born between 1986 and 1993. These children were divided into three different categories: children with autism and one developmental disease, children with autism and more than one developmental disease and children with autism only. The three classifications of children with autism were compared against a control group. The researchers analyzed the connection between autism, birth date and birth weight. Upon analyzing the information, the researchers were able to link the combination of premature birth and…
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Chilled Blankets Decrease Rates of Cerebral Palsy, Study Says
A federally funded study found that using chilled blankets immediately after birth reduces the risk of cerebral palsy and infant death. The study charted survival rates of children born with birth trauma, mainly lack of oxygen during birth (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a.k.a HIE). Doctors studied 208 births in various hospitals across the country. Doctors identified children with HIE within six hours of their birth and administered either traditional treatments or a cooling blanket. Cold water circulates through the blanket, cooling the newborn’s temperature. Researchers found that newborns in the traditional treatment group had a mortality rate of 44 percent, while newborns given the chilled blanket treatment (called hypothermia) had a mortality rate of 28 percent. They were also less likely to develop conditions usually associated with traumatic birth, such as cerebral palsy, limited motor function, vision problems and epilepsy. The hypothermia treatment is standard practice at many hospitals. The study expands…
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Posted in Birth Trauma, Cerebral Palsy Tagged birth trauma, birth trauma lawyer, cerebral palsy, cerebral palsy attorney, chilled blanket, hie, infant death, traumatic birth Comments Off on Chilled Blankets Decrease Rates of Cerebral Palsy, Study Says
