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Archive for the ‘Shoulder Dystocia’ Category

Brachial Plexus Awareness Week

Friday, November 11th, 2011

October 16 – 22 was awareness week for a birth injury that most people are unaware of: brachial plexus. With Breast Cancer Awareness Month going on at the same time, brachial plexus continues to get little recognition, which is unfortunate, because it is a tragic and preventable condition.

Brachial plexus injuries in infants are a result of shoulder trauma. The trauma usually occurs when the infant becomes stuck in the birth canal and is forcibly removed. The injury results in the child’s arm hanging limply at his or her side. Sometimes the condition can be helped through physical therapy or surgery, but often it results in lifelong impairment.

The goal of Brachial Plexus Awareness Week is expressed in its name: awareness. Mothers-to-be need to be aware of the possibility of this birth injury, and they should discuss with their doctors what routine procedures they will use to avoid it. Procedures like cesarean sections, though not the first choice of many, are an option when the risk is high.

Does your child suffer from a brachial plexus injury? If you feel it was caused by medical negligence, you do have legal options. Fill out our contact form so we can help you answer some of your legal questions.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – birth trauma lawyers

 

A Surprising Birth Injury

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

A mom from Fergus Falls, MN, has learned what brachial plexus injury is in the hardest way possible, through having her newborn son.

Carly Schiesser said she read all the books on pregnancy when she found out she was pregnant again, but not one mentioned the injury her son would suffer when he was born.

Her son suffered an avulsion, or detachment from the spinal cord, of the nerves that control his hand, wrist and forearm, a rupture of the nerve with controls his elbow and a stretched nerve that controls shoulder function. This means that his arm is most likely going to be paralyzed for life.

One of the most upsetting parts of this injury is that it likely could have been prevented. Just changing a woman’s position on the birthing table can open up her pelvis by up to 30 percent. Schiesser says she and her husband ask many questions, like “why not a c-section?”

There are times when a child’s birth defects or birth injury can be avoided through proper medical care. Do you feel your child suffers from an affliction created by medical negligence? Our birth trauma attorneys have significant experience getting victim’s families the compensation they need to provide ongoing care for the injured.

Cappolino, Dodd, Krebs LLP – birth trauma attorneys

 

New Simulators Train Doctors to Prevent Birth Injuries

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Everyone knows that in order to become skilled at a task, you must learn through experience. That is exactly what Noelle, an anatomically correct rubber model of a pregnant woman’s body embedded with computer chips, is doing for the obstetricians learning at Jacobi Hospital’s Institute for Medial Simulation and Advanced Learning. For obstetricians who want to prevent birth injuries from occurring during actual labor situations, this pregnant simulator with a simulated baby creates shoulder dystocia situations, oxygen problems, and other potential labor complications.

According to International Business Times, some medical situations are rare in real-life settings, so that doctors may not have the opportunity to teach a resident in training. In addition, this on-the-job training often involves more descriptions of what the teacher is doing, rather than allowing the student to accomplish the task. The training classes that go along with the simulations at Jacobi Hospital also allow the doctors to try several maneuvers for shoulder dystocia in order to find out which method works best, thus improving patient care.

One doctor stated that she encountered a shoulder dystocia emergency after her simulation class, and she knew exactly which steps to take and which maneuvers to try. Though the simulators are still expensive (pregnant Noelle is $38,000), this new kind of training is exactly what doctors need in order to avoid problems with shoulder dystocia and even brain injuries in the delivery room.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP– birth trauma attorney

Virginia Birth Injury Program May Not Have Adequate Funding

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

Virginia has a state run program called Birth-related Neurological Compensation Fund which supplies the children and families affected by birth trauma with the money necessary to pay for the lifetime of needed medical and home care. Unfortunately, this program is seriously lacking the funds necessary to keep up with the need.

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According to an audit released on May 13th, the twenty year old program is short the $127.6 million needed to maintain the lifetime care needed by the infants who have entered the program.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas psp The state run program was the first of its kind in the United States. Florida is the only other state to utilize a similar program.

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The lack of money in the fund is due to underestimated financial projections of the needed child care. This clearly demonstrates the serious financial toll that birth trauma can have on families.

Birth trauma attorneys are working to hold negligent parties responsible in order to prevent the devastation of birth injuries from occurring.