Brachial plexus birth injuries cause permanent life long suffering to children and their families. The brachial plexus is a number of nerves running from the spine and proceeding through the neck and armpit region into the arm. The brachial plexus supplies the arm with nerve impulses. If an infant's head and neck are twisted during childbirth, these nerves may be stretched and damaged, resulting in a permanent injury, such as partial or complete paralysis of the arm on the affected side of the body. This condition is referred to as erbs palsy.
Brachial plexus injuries begin when a baby can't fit properly through the birth canal due to its size. In situations like this, the doctor should facilitate delivery via a cesarean section or C-section. Sometimes it's too late for the doctor to facilitate a cesarean section or the dangers of a C-section may be too great. If this is the case, the doctor needs to very carefully maneuver the baby through the birth canal, ensuring the protection of the brachial plexus. If the doctor is not careful, he or she may damage the brachial plexus nerves by applying too much pressure when twisting and pulling the baby's head. In some cases, the brachial plexus nerves can even be avulsed or actual pulled out of the sockets to the spinal cord.
A baby that has injury to the brachial plexus is born with erbs palsy or brachial plexus injury. The symptoms will be immediately noticeable as the baby's arm will be limp and weak. In some cases the body can recover, but if it doesn't, the baby will be left with a permanent injury in which he or she will never be able to move their arm for life.
Some of the reasons an obstetrician may not prepare for a brachial plexus dilemma include failure to properly monitor the pregnancy, track the size of the baby near delivery, or define a correct delivery date. If a C-section is not the best option, the doctor can rotate the baby for a more efficient delivery. Excessive force to deliver the baby must be avoided to prevent brachial plexus or other serious birth injuries from occurring.
When presenting brachial plexus birth injury cases to a jury, Dr. Bruce G. Fagel explains the anatomy of a baby, the circumstances the doctor was faced with, and what actions the doctor took to cause the injury to the baby. If your baby suffered a brachial plexus injury, erbs palsy, or any other type of birth injury from medical negligence, contact Dr. Bruce G. Fagel & Associates right away for a free consultation. You may be entitled to compensation for a life time of medical care for your child.
