A doctor, obstetrician, nurse, or other medical professionals have an obligation to provide a standard level of treatment and care to a pregnant woman, during childbirth and after childbirth. The baby's health and well-being depends on it. Delivery mistakes can lead to catastrophic and permanent birth injuries, including erbs palsy, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, or even death.
Dr. Bruce G. Fagel, a leading medical malpractice attorney specializing in birth injuries, and a licensed medical doctor, uses his medical and legal expertise to explain to the jury where medical negligence occurred in a medical malpractice birth injury case. Dr. Fagel first explains to a jury what a normal labor and delivery process looks like, then proceeds to explain where things went wrong. Birth injuries can occur from a number of problems, including the umbilical cord prolapsing through the birth canal as the infant's head is moving through the canal and getting trapped against the head, causing the cord to kink. This will cause the blood supply to be cut off, or the cord could even wrap around the baby's neck or other body part, cutting off the blood supply severely. This can cause severe injuries to the baby's midbrain area, which is the area that affects coordination and motor skills. This type of injury can result in the baby getting cerebral palsy, which can prevent the baby from being able to walk or control his or her muscles. In this situation, the child will have normal mental and cognitive functions, but not have normal physical functions. Other birth injuries may include problems with the placenta not functioning properly, which can deprive the infant from a proper supply of blood or oxygen to the brain.
In a medical negligence or medical malpractice case, attorneys like Dr. Fagel need to demonstrate to a jury how the actions taken by the medical staff, failure to take the proper actions, or failure to take the necessary actions promptly, caused the birth injury to the child. An experienced medical malpractice birth injury attorney will understand how to determine the exact cause or causes of the birth injury, including the circumstances leading up to the negligence. Another example of negligence relating to a birth injury may be the medical staff failed to properly read or interpret the fetal monitor strip, which may have produced the warning signs that the baby's heart rate suddenly dropped. Failure to notice the warning and taking prompt action may have led to a serious and permanent brain injury to the child. If you believe your child suffered a birth injury related to medical negligence or medical malpractice, you should consult with a birth injury attorney such as Dr. Bruce G. Fagel immediately. You may have a case for medical negligence or medical malpractice.
