May 18, 2010

Chicago, Illinois Birth Injury Lawyer Resources

Our Chicago birth injury attorneys at Levin & Perconti have recently launched a newly-designed firm website. The Chicago personal injury website offers a number of new resources, including community pages, the Nursing Home Attorney Resource Center, a directory of commonly used legal terms and expanded practice area information.

We represent a number of individuals and families throughout Illinois who were injured or killed as a result of healthcare provider error during the birth process. Due to this, we felt it was important to expand our birth injury practice area pages to include more information for the public on some of the most common types of birth injuries. We have created new web pages specifically focused on injuries such as cerebral palsy, brachial plexus injuries and injuries caused by vacuum extraction. Visit our main birth injury practice area page to access our expanded pages, and also to learn why birth injury cases differ from other types of medical malpractice lawsuits. After viewing this information, feel free to contact a Chicago injury lawyer to discuss your potential claim.

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Posted In: Brachial Plexus, Cerebral Palsy, Erb's Palsy, Fetus/Fetal Asphyxia, Illinois Birth Injury

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February 2, 2010

Doctor Blamed for Erb’s Palsy Birth Injury

An obstetrician recently received a public reprimand from her state’s medical board. The reprimand states that the doctor’s negligence caused a newborn baby to suffer Erb’s Palsy. According to the report in The Mercury News, the negligent doctor tried a suction delivery, but the baby was too large for natural birth. This risky move caused the baby’s shoulder to become locked on the mother’s public bone, damaging the baby’s shoulder nerves and causing Erb’s Palsy, which left his arm and shoulder paralyzed.

Levin & Perconti have represented clients in a number of Chicago birth injury cases involving Erb’s Palsy. In 2009, John Perconti and Patricia Gifford settled a lawsuit for $1.35 million on behalf of a 9-year-old Waukegan girl who lost movement in her arm. Her doctors failed to inform the girl’s mother of her increased risk for shoulder dystocia. They also failed to perform the proper techniques during labor and delivery to disimpact the newborn's shoulder, causing her injury. To learn more about this birth injury lawsuit, read our latest newsletter.

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Posted In: Brachial Plexus, Erb's Palsy, Illinois Birth Injury, Medical Malpractice Lawsuit, Shoulder Dystocia

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December 30, 2009

Ultrasound Detects Shoulder Dislocation 3 to 6 Months After Birth Injury

A new study in the January issue of Radiology found that an ultrasound can now be used to detect a posterior shoulder dislocation in infants 3 to 6 months old with a permanent brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI). A doctor from Finland performed ultrasonography to screen for posterior shoulder subluxation in 132 infants with brachial plexus at various times. Their research showed that posterior shoulder subluxation of the humeral head developed in one-third of the 27 patients with permanent BPBI that failed to heal in the first year. It was detected by ultrasound in 55 percent of patients at 3 months of age and in 89 percent of patients at 6 months of age. The ultrasound has proved to be a useful tool for diagnosis of a birth injury. It should be performed on the glenohumeral joint at age 3 and 6 months of age if the symptoms persist. To learn more about the ultrasound therapy, please click the link.

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Posted In: Birth Injury Treatment, Brachial Plexus, Reports & Studies

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April 13, 2009

New Software Used to Prevent Shoulder Dystocia

A computer program is shaping up to be the new hero in the prevention of shoulder dystocia and brachial plexus injuries. A new software program, called CALM Shoulder Screen, has been developed that calculates the risk of shoulder dystocia with permanent injury. The program analyzes several factors, including the mothers’ height and weight and determines whether they are at risk of suffering shoulder dystocia during delivery. Those ascertained to be at high risk can avoid the birth injury by opting for delivery by c-section. Obstetricians throughout the country have began utilizing this web-based system and it has been proven effective to be effective. The program can be used anytime after the 37th week of gestation.

For more information about this birth injury prevention software, click here.

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Posted In: Birth Injury Prevention, Brachial Plexus, Shoulder Dystocia

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February 7, 2009

Untreated Gestational Diabetes May Lead to Shoulder Dystocia and Other Complications

A new study has found that treating even mild gestational diabetes significantly reduces the risk of certain birth injuries and lessens the need for emergency C-sections. Gestational diabetes occurs during late pregnancy, when a mother’s body is unable to produce and use all the insulin that it needs. Without enough insulin, the body is unable to convert the glucose into energy and, as a result, it builds up in the mother’s blood. This blood then reaches the baby through the placenta, giving it more sugar than it needs. The baby stores this excess energy as fat. Because the baby is larger than normal, there is an increased risk of its shoulders becoming lodged behind the mother’s pelvis during delivery, a situation known as shoulder dystocia. If the doctors and healthcare providers are negligent in their delivery, the baby can suffer from Brachial Plexus injuries. These injuries can be severe and permanent and may include paralysis and deformation of the baby’s arms. If you have been diagnosed with even a mild case of gestational diabetes, it is therefore important that you receive proper treatment in order to reduce these risks.

Read more about gestational diabetes and its risks here.

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Posted In: Birth Injury Prevention, Brachial Plexus, Reports & Studies, Shoulder Dystocia

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December 16, 2008

A Physician’s Examination of Several Birth Injuries

The incidence rates of stillbirths and infant deaths have been examined in a recent study created by a Physician at Rochester General Hospital. The Physician determined that 2% of infant deaths occur due to significant birth injuries. Birth injuries may have long term affects however some birth injuries, usually due to physician’s errors during birth, have little if any long term affects. The physician’s report discusses some birth trauma and birth injuries such as: Cephalhematoma, Brachial plexus injury, cranial nerve and spinal cord injuries. To read the full study click here.

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Posted In: Brachial Plexus, Reports & Studies

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October 13, 2008

Brachial Plexus Injury Awareness Week

Next week, October 19-26, will be the 9th annual Brachial Plexus Injury Awareness Week. This event was created by the United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc. with the goal of increasing general awareness of brachial plexus injuries.

A brachial plexus injury occurs when the network of spinal nerves which controls the muscles of the fingers, hand, arm, and shoulder, called the brachial plexus, is damaged. These nerves originate at the back of the neck and extend through the axilla (armpit) and into the arm, where they form 3 trunks in the upper shoulder. Erb’s Palsy refers to an injury to the upper trunk while a lower trunk injury is called Klumpke's Palsy.

A brachial plexus injury can result in full or partial paralysis of one or both arms and can be permanent if the nerves do not completely heal. In less severe instances, the nerve damage may cause weakness or a loss of muscle control in the arm, hand, or wrist, resulting in the impaired ability to grasp, extend, or reach, or a lack of feeling or sensation in the arm or hand. Physical appearance can also be affected.

Most brachial plexus injuries occur during an emergency birth condition called shoulder dystocia in which the baby’s shoulder becomes wedged behind the mother’s pubic bone while in delivery. There are several techniques or maneuvers to free the baby’s shoulder and complete the delivery safely but if the person performing the delivery is careless or applies excessive force to the baby’s head or neck, the brachial nerves can become stretched or torn.

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Posted In: Brachial Plexus, Current Issues, Erb's Palsy, Shoulder Dystocia

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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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