Parents of a child with cerebral palsy at one time or another have found themselves wondering…could something that was done in the delivery room, have caused my child’s condition. A better question might be, did a mistake in the delivery room cause my child’s cerebral palsy?
Many parents accept the condition as inevitable and move on. But, did you know that there exist some common mistakes that occur in the delivery room that have caused thousands of cases of cerebral palsy.
1. Leaving the child in the birth canal too long: This can cause a lack of oxygen to the brain.
2. Failing to detect a prolapsed umbilical cord: This condition reduces the oxygen supply to the brain, 25 percent of all newborns have the umbilical cord wrapped around their neck,
3. Using Forceps improperly: Many injuries can be inflicted with Forceps,
Facial paralysis can be caused by pressure on the facial nerves during birth or by the use of forceps during birth.
4. Failing to respond to the mothers changing conditions: This includes such conditions as high blood pressure or toxemia
5. Failing to respond to changes in the fetal heart rate: This is an important marker of fetal distress and may be related to intrauterine asphyxia.
6. Using vacuum extraction excessively: Subgaleal hematoma is bleeding in the potential space between the skull periosteum and the scalp galea aponeurosis. Ninety percent of cases result from vacuum applied to the head at delivery.
7. Failing to plan for cesarean section with high birth weight infant: Brachial plexus injury occurs most commonly in large babies, frequently with shoulder dystocia or breech delivery.
8. Failing to recognize and treat seizures following delivery: Seizures due to peripartum asphyxia most commonly begin during the first 48 to 72 hours of life. The earlier the onset of seizures and the more difficult they are to control, the more likely they are to be associated with cerebral palsy.
9. Failing to treat jaundice in a timely manner: If the condition is not treated, the brain can incur damage resulting in cerebral palsy.
10. Failing to perform an emergency cesarean section: The use of potentially injurious instruments, such as midforceps rotation and vacuum delivery. The accepted alternative is a cesarean delivery.
One factor that may be responsible for cerebral palsy in some cases is medical negligence, and this includes any damage that is sustained through improper care during pregnancy, labor, and birth, even after the birth.
Proper medical care will often expose potential problems (such as RH factor incompatibility) and allow them to be identified and dealt with early on before they cause damage to the newborn. Most birth traumas are self-limiting and conclude with a favorable outcome. Nearly half of these problems are potentially avoidable with recognition and anticipation of obstetric risk factors.
Contact Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Be aware of the potential for mistakes to happen in the delivery of your child, and plan to prevent them. If you or a loved one have delivered a child with cerebral palsy and you suspect mistakes in the delivery room please contact a medical malpractice lawyer now at The Law Offices of Nadrich & Cohen, we can help you.
Jeffrey Nadrich
Jeffrey Nadrich is a nationally-recognized California plaintiff’s personal injury attorney. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of the Law. He has successfully represented thousands of injury clients over the last 40 years.
