A recent study suggests umbilical cord milking reduces the risk of brain injuries, including cerebral palsy, among pre-term babies delivered by C-section, Medical Daily reported on June 30.
The research, which involved 197 infants delivered either vaginally or by C-section before the 32nd week of pregnancy, aimed to compare the benefits between umbilical cord milking, or the process of squeezing placental blood down the umbilical cord and into the baby, and delayed clamping, or delayed cutting of the cord for 30 to 60 seconds.
The results revealed milking was more effective in increasing the flow of blood, improving blood pressure and boosting hemoglobin count among pre-term C-section babies. However, no significant difference was observed among preterm babies delivered naturally.
Some cases of cerebral palsy have been found to be a result of negligent medical care. If your child has developed this life-long condition due to a reckless doctor or untrained medical staff, our legal team at the Driscoll Firm is here to help you. Call us at (800) 900-7704 and have your case assessed for free.
A woman is claiming that the University of Chicago Medical Center is responsible for her child developing cerebral palsy as a fetus due to medical malpractice. She filed the complaint on June 29 in the Cook County Circuit Court.
Latoya Blanchard first visited the hospital when she was seven weeks pregnant. She informed the doctor at the Maternal Fetal Medicine and Genetics Department of the University of Chicago Medical Center that her previous pregnancy had ended in fetal death at 22 weeks.
Blanchard returned at 20 weeks gestation for her first fetal ultrasound. The monitor showed a fetal heart rate of 143 and the mother’s cervix was dilated to 48 millimeters. A month later, Blanchard returned again 6 centimeters dilated and complaining of back pain. An ultrasound revealed a footling breach for which she was given antibiotics, betamethasone, and magnesium.
A few days later, the baby was born at 1 lb. 4 oz. He sustained a grade four ventricular hemorrhage and neonatal seizures which are known for causing developmental delays and cerebral palsy. The lawsuit claims that the medical staff was negligent as it failed to administer progesterone to the mother and failed to offer the mother cervical cerclage to prevent a pre-term delivery.
If your child was born with cerebral palsy or developed the condition due to negligent medical professionals, contact the Driscoll Firm today. Our skilled birth injury attorneys want to find you the compensation and peace of mind that you and your family need. Our cerebral palsy lawyers want to hear from you. Call us today at (800) 305-9800 for more information about how we can help you.
The team at The Driscoll Firm would like to congratulate our co-counsel, Williams Kherkher Hart Boundas, on achieving a $38,000,000 verdict for a catastrophically injured child and her grandparents. A St. Louis jury awarded $23 million in punitive damages on top of $15 million in actual damages to the 12-year-old girl, who was born with spina bifida after her mother took the anti-seizure drug Depakote while pregnant. Spina bifida occurs when a child’s spinal column fails to close all the way, which can lead to both physical and intellectual disabilities.
The jury decided that Abbott Labs did not do enough to warn doctors about the potential birth defects that children could suffer if their mothers took Depakote while pregnant. According to arguments presented by the plaintiff’s attorneys, Abbot failed to adequately present the potential risks associated with Depakote, instead making it seem as though Depakote was no more dangerous than other anti-epileptic drugs.
According to a 2010 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Depakote is tied to an increased risk of a number of different birth defects, one of which is spina bifida.
Court documents from this landmark case state that because of these dangers, doctors should prescribe every available alternative to pregnant women before prescribing Depakote.
California-based Botox maker Allergan has appealed a $6.75 million verdict in a case filed by a couple who claims Botox treatment caused their son to suffer from seizures, the Burlington Free Press reported on June 9.
The drug maker has filed their appeal to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals several weeks after a judge in Vermont backed the jury’s decision to award the damages. Lori and Kevin Drake said their son had no history of seizures prior to Botox treatments, which were recommended by a Burlington doctor in 2010 and 2012 to treat their son’s cerebral palsy leg spasms. The couple claims the drug company failed to fully orient the doctor about the Botox treatment’s health risks.
The couple added that the treatment was off-label, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never approved Botox for treatment of muscle spasm in kids.
Errors in cerebral palsy treatment may aggravate your loved one’s medical condition, and may even cause serious, even life-threatening medical complications. If you believe your loved one’s condition was caused by medical negligence, our legal team at the Driscoll Firm might be able to help you file a lawsuit against the party involved. Call us at (800) 900-7704 to learn more about your legal options.
Since there are so many factors that will affect the amount of time it will take to resolve each case, there is no good way to approximate how long your case might take without knowing more details. In some cases, it may be possible to reach a satisfactory settlement relatively early on in the process. In other cases, it may be necessary to take a case to trial, which requires substantially more time to work through. In any case, an experienced attorney will be able to prepare you for what lies ahead as you pursue compensation for your child’s pain and suffering.
If your child was born with cerebral palsy or another birth defect as the result of medical malpractice, you should speak with one of the birth injury attorneys with the Driscoll Firm about what to expect during the claims process. To discuss your claim with one of our attorneys, please call our offices at (800) 900-7704 today.
Classifying the type and severity of cerebral palsy (CP) is important to providing the patient the best quality of life possible for his or her condition. For parents, CP categories enable them to understand the medical needs of their child, while school administrators are able to comprehensively grasp the child’s learning abilities.
There are a variety of ways that CP is grouped. Here are a few of them:
- Severity – A child’s CP can be categorized into mild, moderate, severe, or no CP (CP was acquired after the brain’s development was completed, therefore is instead classified under the circumstances that caused it- such as traumatic brain injury)
- Topographical distribution – CP is grouped based on the affected areas of the body. Paraplegia, for instance, is a type of cerebral palsy that affects both legs
- Motor function – CP is categorized based on how the condition affects the body’s motor function
If you believe your child’s CP has resulted from medical malpractice, the legal team at the Driscoll Firm might be able to help you seek the compensation your family needs. Call us at (800) 900-7704 for a free assessment of your case.
Marlana VanHoose was born blind and with Cytomeglo virus which caused her to develop cerebral palsy. Cytomeglo virus is known to be a directly caused by a number of prenatal and the birth defects inhibited her health severely, giving her only a few years to live. Fortunately, she is now a healthy 19-year-old that has taken her disabilities and let them strengthen her.
The teen became a star overnight as she travels from place to place performing at sporting events and presidential nominations. Earlier this year, the teen sang the “Star Spangled Banner” at the announcement of Rand Paul’s presidential campaign. Marlana recently sang at the opening of the 2015 NBA final against the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
After she recovered from the worst of her illnesses, Marlana turned to music. She was teaching herself the piano by the time she was two. She is now a member of the Artist Music Guild, winning the 2012 recipient for New Artist of the Year and Young Artist of the Year. The Kentucky native is an active member of her church and still sings at religious and sporting events across the nation.
The young singer is drawing attention and awareness to cerebral palsy. However, her story is unlike many of the children born with the debilitating condition. For most of the children born with cerebral palsy due to the negligent and dangerous medical practices of physicians, their lives are significantly shortened and made difficult. At the Driscoll Firm, we believe that these medical professionals should be held accountable for their actions. If your child was born with birth defects caused by negligent medical staff, please call (800) 900-7704 today.
Anticonvulsants such as topiramate are sometimes prescribed to cerebral palsy patients suffering from seizures. A recent study published in Pediatrics stated that the anticonvulsant topiramate may trigger or aggravate an eating disorder among patients using it, including those with cerebral palsy, according to a report published in Medscape.
The study recorded seven girls aged 13 to 18 who had developed eating disorders or had their eating disorder worsen after taking topiramate. Researchers believe that because of the drug’s appetite-suppressant effects, physicians and parents should be aware of the risk of weight loss when taking the drug.
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition that varies in severity and can be treated in many different ways, including prescription drugs and physical therapy. The effectiveness of drugs will be a consistent concern as you raise your child with cerebral palsy, but you should not be held responsible for the costs of this medical treatment. The negligent doctor or medical facility that contributed to your child’s birth injury may be held financially accountable for any current and future treatment for your child.
Learn more about taking action for the funds your child needs by calling the Driscoll Firm at (800) 900-7704 today.
A Chicago couple is suing a Puerto Rico hospital for the severe birth defects and untimely death of their daughter, according to Injury Lawyer News on May 20.
Their child was born with cerebral palsy, among a number of other defects, allegedly due to the poor medical care received during birth.
The mother was sent to the hospital on July 3, 2013 due to high blood pressure, the first time this was recorded during her prenatal check-ups. At 10:40 p.m. she was induced, given Cytotec, and told she needed constant monitoring by medical staff. She reported not being monitored until 1:00 a.m. and was again left for several hours after that.
Between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., the fetus showed signs of distress with uterine hyperstimulation and tachysytole. The Cesarean section was administered at 2:00 p.m. that day, although medical standards of protocol dictate this measure should have been taken long before.
The baby was transferred to a hospital in San Juan later that night without proper care. There was strong evidence of severe neurological problems at this point. She was released from the hospital on January 2, 2014 and placed in a home monitor. The baby passed away on August 11, 2014 from septic shock, respiratory failure, and hypoxia related to birth injuries.
Medical negligence during delivery is a common cause of cerebral palsy in infants. At the Driscoll Firm, we believe that medical professionals should be held accountable for the injuries they cause their patients. To learn more about how our cerebral palsy and birth injury attorneys can help you, please call (800) 900-7704 today.
A birth is considered full-term if it occurred between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation. If a baby is born before the beginning of the 37th week of pregnancy, he or she is considered a premature baby. Because premature babies didn’t have enough time to mature inside the mother’s womb, they are vulnerable to different health conditions, some of them life-long, such as cerebral palsy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children born before the start of 32nd week of pregnancy are at the highest risk of developing cerebral palsy. Some experts believe preterm babies are at highest risk of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), a type of brain damage involving the brain’s white matter, or the area of the brain that transports nerve impulses to the other areas of the brain. PVL is considered a major factor in the development of cerebral palsy.
Apart from pre-term birth, babies can also be at risk of cerebral palsy due to medical malpractice. Failure to conduct a C-section when necessary or a negligently performed delivery may all increase the risk of CP among babies. To learn more about taking legal action against the negligent medical practitioner involved, speak with our team at the Driscoll Firm by calling (800) 900-7704 today.
