Parents of children with cerebral palsy often ask themselves whether their child’s medical condition was caused by medical malpractice. Cerebral palsy is a complex medical condition involving physical and brain dysfunction, and one of the most accepted causes of CP is birth asphyxia at the time of the delivery of the baby. What many parents don’t know is that birth asphyxia, or lack of oxygen, is usually preventable if doctors and nurses provide good medical care.
Doctors have many ways to ascertain the health of the fetus in utero. Fetal heart rate monitoring is the most common and the most effective way to monitor the health of a baby so that active steps can be taken if necessary. A baby that has been otherwise healthy during pregnancy but is delivered in severe distress may have suffered from birth asphyxia or lack of oxygen. The following five clues will tip a family off as to whether their child may have suffered preventable cerebral palsy:
First, the pH level of the blood cord from the umbilical cord is a measure of how well oxygenated the baby is. A pH below 7.0 indicates asphyxia. The Apgar score of your child at the time of birth will indicate whether or not your child was in distress. Three, seizures of a baby post-delivery are an important sign of birth asphyxia. Four, swelling of a brain immediately after birth can indicate that your baby suffered from a lack of oxygen. And five, If your child has physical or other developmental difficulties later in life, that can be an important clue. If your child has experienced some of these issues, then you may have a valid medical malpractice case.
The lifetime cost of helping a child with cerebral palsy live independently can be significant. If the condition was otherwise preventable through reasonable medical care, then the doctor or nurse’s insurance may be able to compensate you and your family for these very significant costs. If you feel that some of your child’s disabilities may have been caused by trauma at birth, please give me a call for a free consultation.
