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Posts Tagged ‘Birth Defects’

Mother Of Twins Dies After C-Section

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

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 cause of death is bleeding. It can be fast and severe and by the time doctors attempt to address it, it can be too late.

The procedure also comes with risk of bladder injury, infection, bowel injuries and blood clots.

Perhaps Frieman’s C-section prevented potential brain injuries or other birth defects in her newborn twins. It is heartbreaking that she had to pay for that safety with her life.

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – birth injury attorneys

 

More Premature Babies, More Brain Damage

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

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 need a way to prevent or repair it.

Though some treatments are still years away from human trials, there are some available now, including magnetic stimulation of certain areas of the brain and temporarily lowering the body temperature of the premature infants.

Was your child born premature? Did they suffer any birth defects or brain injuries?

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – Birth trauma lawyers

 

New York Destroys Options for Birth Trauma Victims

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

In an unfortunate turn of events, a law recently passed in New York State prevents severely injured children from recovering the cost of their future care from the negligent doctor’s insurance company – even if the case is proven to be medical malpractice. These injured children will also be unable to control the health care decisions recommended by their doctors and therapists. The State of New York will instead make these decisions under its New York Medical Indemnity Fund.

The obligation to pay for the negligent doctors’ mistakes will now be carried by taxpayers and a tax on obstetric services provided by hospitals.

It will still be up the family of the injured child to prove in court that they were victims of medical negligence, with all the costs that go along with such a venture, to even become eligible for the fund. If they prove themselves victims of malpractice, then the Fund will determine what treatment they need, regardless of the family’s wishes or the advice of the child’s physician.

This drastic change in malpractice liability is almost unbelievable in its cruelty towards the most innocent of victims.

Is your child a victim of birth defects or birth trauma because of medical malpractice? How do you feel about the changes created by this new law?

Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – birth trauma lawyers

 

Autism In Premature Babies Five Times More Likely

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

A new study on autism has demonstrated that the risk of developing autism among children who were born prematurely is five times greater than among kids born after a full-term pregnancy.

The new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that five out of every 100 young adults born weighing less than four and a half pounds had autism. This is significantly higher than the estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that one out of every 100 eight-year-old kids has autism.

The professor who led the study, Jennifer Pinto-Martin of the University of Pennsylvania, says she “was surprised”. “I knew it would be higher than the general population…but I thought the rate would be about double”, she said.

Those with autism in the study also showed a higher prevalence for other psychiatric disorders, such as phobias and attention-deficit disorder.

Pinto-Martin said that although her study did not show that being born early causes autism, there is concern that prematurity puts babies’ brains at a higher risk for injury, and perhaps that brain injury could have something to do with autism.

Does your child suffer from birth defects or a brain injury because of medical negligence? If so, you do have legal options to help you get the compensation needed to provide proper medical care for your child.

Cappolino, Dodd, Krebs LLP – birth trauma lawyers