It’s a widely known fact that people in the United States have access to the most advanced treatment options. You’ll not come across any other country that scores as impressively as the US when it comes to healthcare facilities available to ordinary citizens.
However, despite having such a highly rated health infrastructure, Americans do get injured because of medical negligence. Top law firms like Johnston Law Firm, PC keep getting hundreds of cases involving medical negligence every year. This write-up would talk about the common birth injuries babies in the US develop due to medical negligence.
The Duty of Medical Practitioners and Other Healthcare Workers
For a newborn baby to be perfectly fit physically, the medical team should complete every step of the delivery process with utmost care. Medical personnel forming the team should stay alert and perform their tasks attentively before, during, and after the baby’s delivery. If any member of the team commits a mistake at any stage, the mother and/or the infant may have significant suffering.
Such events of medical negligence can even end up causing serious injuries to the little bundle of joy. Some of those injuries can cause permanent damage to the baby. The list below talks about the most common injuries newborn babies can develop due to medical negligence.
Types of Birth Injuries Medical Negligence Can Cause
Infections: Indeed, infections are usually not classified as injuries. Still, they have made this list as it has become extremely common for newborn babies to become infected by various communicable diseases accidentally. This happens primarily due to the faults of nurses and doctors.
Babies can develop life-threatening infections due to a lack of proper hygiene. Failure of treating those infections properly can make the situation even worse.
Hypoxia: A newborn baby suffers from hypoxia due to a shortage of oxygen at the time of his or her birth. Hypoxia can have serious consequences including organ failure and brain damage.
According to experts, hypoxia in infants occurs if the medical staff fails to monitor the heart rate of the unborn baby at regular intervals. A baby may also develop the condition if medical practitioners fail to address problems like placental abruption or prolapsed umbilical cord at the right time.
Cerebral Palsy: Brain injury at the time of birth often causes cerebral palsy, a condition that prevents an individual from controlling his or her muscles. Brain damage triggering cerebral palsy can occur due to several reasons. They are:
- Hypoxia
- Wrong use of vacuum extraction or forceps
- Untreated or improperly treated jaundice
- Certain infections
Fractures: At times, doctors forget to monitor the child’s position at the time of delivery. The attempt to bring out the baby without ensuring that the little one is in the right position can result in fractures. Using excessive force during delivery is another common cause of birth-time fractures. On most occasions, the baby gets broken collarbones. However, fractures in the legs and arms are also common.
Final Words
If you or any of your dear ones have experienced any of the above-mentioned issues during childbirth, don’t hesitate to seek legal help. That’s the only way you can punish people responsible for medical negligence and get the compensation you deserve.