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March 27, 2009

Jury Awards $4 Million to Family of Brain-Damaged Baby in Delayed C-Section Case

Earlier this week, a jury returned a verdict awarding $4 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit for birth injuries found to have been caused by a delayed c-section.

The injured baby’s mother had been pregnant with twins, but one died in utero. A few weeks later, doctors discovered that the surviving twin was in distress and determined that an emergency c-section was necessary. The operation was delayed for several hours, however, and the baby ended up being born with permanent brain damage that led to cerebral palsy and mental retardation. The award should help to guarantee that the child receives the necessary treatment that she will require for the rest of her life.

Read more about this delayed c-section case here.

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Posted In: C-Section Delay, Cerebral Palsy, Medical Malpractice Lawsuit, Survivial Action, Verdicts and Settlements

March 23, 2009

$6.4 Million Jury Verdict in Failure to Treat Preeclampsia Case

Last week, a jury returned a verdict of $6.4 million to a woman for brain damage that she suffered during pregnancy. The medical malpractice lawsuit alleged that the woman’s doctor failed to properly treat her for preeclampsia, a condition that can cause high blood pressure in pregnant women. The woman’s baby was born free of birth injuries but she suffered a brain bleed after her condition became severe.

Preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders have been recognized as being responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year, worldwide.

Click here for more information on this failure to treat preeclampsia verdict.

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice Lawsuit, Survivial Action, Verdicts and Settlements

March 16, 2009

Women Experiencing Shoulder Dystocia More Likely to Suffer the Complication In Deliveries of Later Children

A new study published in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology finds that women who experience shoulder dystocia incur an increased risk of the complication recurring in subsequent deliveries. The study, which looked at the deliveries of womens’ second children, found that shoulder dystocia occurred in 0.8% of all women, but that women with shoulder dystocia in their first delivery had a 7.3% risk of recurrence. While the prior experience of shoulder dystocia does increase the likelihood of future delivery complications, the study’s authors emphasized that the baby’s birthweight is the most important factor in predicting the probability of the birth injury's occurrence.

Click the following link for more information on the shoulder dystocia study.

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Posted In: Erb's Palsy, Reports & Studies, Shoulder Dystocia

March 11, 2009

Programs to Reduce C-Section Delays and Prevent Birth Injuries

When it comes to babies who are deprived of oxygen during birth, every second counts. Delays in the performance of c-sections can cause serious injuries to oxygen-deprived babies, such as brain damage and cerebral palsy. Hospitals and doctors can significantly reduce the length of c-section delays, however, by implementing quality improvement programs by doctors and hospitals, according to a new study published in this month’s issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In particular, the study found that, after 2 years of following such a program, the number of emergency c-sections that were delayed for over 30 minutes was reduced by up to 30% in some situations. These findings suggest that many devastating birth injuries could be prevented if hospitals and doctors simply implemented programs to address the delays.

Click the following link for more information about the quality improvement program study and its findings.

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Posted In: Birth Injury Prevention, C-Section Delay, Cerebral Palsy, Lack of Oxygen to Fetus, Reports & Studies

March 6, 2009

Cool New Therapy Reduces Brain Damage in Oxygen-Deprived Infants

Babies who are deprived of oxygen for any significant period of time during birth have a very high risk of suffering permanent brain damage. This risk of birth injury has shown to be reduced, however, by a new therapy that is pretty cool, literally. The therapy, called induced hypothermia, involves placing an infant on a cooling blanket within 6 hours of its birth for a period of 3 days, bringing its temperature down from the normal 98.6 degrees to about 92 degrees. Research shows that, while the therapy may not completely prevent brain damage, babies suffering from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), or birth hypoxia and asphyxia, that receive the treatment have a greater chance of survival and the extent of their brain damage from oxygen deprivation is reduced.

Read more about this new cooling therapy here.

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Posted In: Birth Injury Prevention, Birth Injury Treatment, Fetus/Fetal Asphyxia, Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), Lack of Oxygen to Fetus, Reports & Studies

March 4, 2009

Breastfeeding May Reduce Risk of Crib Death

A new study from the University of Munster, in Germany, suggests that women who breastfeed significantly reduce the risk of their babies dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as crib death. The study was based on the observation of over 1,000 infants and found that, after one month, babies who were fed exclusively with breast milk were 50% less likely to die of SIDS.

Read more about the study and its statistical findings here.

To learn more about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, visit the American SIDS Institute’s website.

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Posted In: Crib death, Reports & Studies

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The purpose of this blog is to deliver news and information that is relevant to our areas of practice. The news and information reported on this blog represent the legal actions of attorneys throughout the United States. Our firm does not claim to represent plaintiffs in all of the lawsuits, settlements, and jury verdicts reported, only those noted as Levin & Perconti cases.

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