Infant Brain Bleeding as a Result of Medical Malpractice

According to statistics, one in 9,714 births in the United States includes a birth injury. Roughly 28,000 birth injuries are reported annually in the country. The National Healthcare Quality Report estimates that 5.08 per 1,000 birth injuries occurred in female infants and 6.68 per 1,000 occurred in male infants.

The most common forms of birth injuries include Erb's palsy, or brachial plexus injuries, hematoma, intracranial and subdural hemorrhage, oxygen deprivation, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, and fractures.

An intracranial bleeding, or brain bleeding in an infant, is a birth injury that is caused when a blood vessel in the brain bursts all of a sudden. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy or perinatal asphyxia occur due to damage to the infant's skull, which results in bleeding due to lack of oxygen or an injury during labor and delivery.

When parents have a child who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) at birth, they need to determine if the injury was caused by inadequate oxygen supply to the brain or due to difficult labor and delivery. Parents will also need to have evidence that the TBI was a direct result of medical negligence of medical staff or medical equipment malfunction.

Brain Damage as a Result of Hemorrhaging

Brain bleeding is most likely to occur in premature infants. Ischemia, or inadequate blood flow to the brain, or hypoxia, inadequate oxygen in the brain, are the two main causes of brain injury in babies. There may be cases where an infant suffers a brain injury without any noticeable symptoms. However, when there are symptoms after a baby suffers a brain bleed, the baby may be lethargic or fatigued, have seizures or have problems while feeding.

Types of Brain Bleeding in Infants

There are several different types of infant brain hemorrhage, including:

• Subarachnoid hemorrhages - This is one of the most common types of brain bleeding and often affects full-term newborns. There is a buildup of blood below the innermost two membranes that cover the brain, which can cause seizures and cerebrospinal fluid buildup in the brain, or hydrocephalus, and apnea.
• Subdural hemorrhages - These occur between the inner and outer layers of the brain-covering. They can trigger seizures as well as lead to high levels of bilirubin, which has been connected to the development of cerebral palsy.
• Intraventricular hemorrhages (IVH) - This type of bleedings occurs when there is seepage of blood into the area of the brain where spinal fluid is produced. IVHs are especially common in premature babies or those with low birth weight, as their brains and vessels are not completely developed.

If your baby, or a loved one's, has suffered from a brain hemorrhage as a result of medical negligence, you should immediately seek the help of a medical malpractice attorney at Rosenberg, Minc, Falloff, & Wolff of RMFW Law at 212-344-1000.

We know how to start these types of cases out. We know which direction to go. We know how to finish these types of cases as well. We have tried cases like this many times. RMFW Law knows how to win these types of cases. Give us a call, we cannot do that for you. Is your case viable? What is your side of the story? There is a hill to climb here but we know how to climb it if your case has substance to it.

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