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Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)

The Ohio birth injury attorney you can count on when it matters most

When mistakes are made during a baby’s delivery, birth injuries often occur involving newborn children. One of the most common – and most serious – is a type of brain injury known as Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE).

An estimated 1.5 to 2.5 out of 1,000 babies sustain Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy during the delivery process, according to statistics compiled by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Worst of all, many of these birth injuries occur due to medical negligence and could have been easily prevented.

If you believe a medical error caused your child’s Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, you may be eligible for financial compensation for your medical bills and other injury-related expenses. But actually getting the money you rightfully deserve can often be much more difficult than many people realize. That’s why The Lancione Law Firm wants to help.

Dedicated to delivering the best legal services for families

Cleveland birth injury lawyer John A. Lancione can help you every step of the way. Nationally recognized in the field of birth injury law, attorney Lancione has been handling such complex legal cases for decades in Ohio and nationwide.

Other lawyers frequently refer birth injury cases to our law firm. That’s because they know we have the knowledge and skills to successfully resolve such tough cases. Since our law firm was founded, we have obtained more than $350 million and counting for our clients, including one of Ohio’s largest malpractice verdicts.

But your case is about more than just money. You put your trust in medical professionals to care for you and your child. Now, they need to be held accountable for their actions. That’s our job. We welcome the opportunity to work with you and to earn your trust. You can count on The Lancione Law Firm when it matters most.

What is Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)?

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a medical term used to describe brain damage that occurs near the time of birth, caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow to the fetal brain. The causes of HIE often include a combination of medical issues near or during labor and delivery:

  • Fetal heart rate abnormalities
  • Uterine rupture
  • Umbilical cord prolapse
  • Umbilical cord blood gas test results that indicate there’s too much acid in the body, a medical condition known as metabolic acidosis
  • Low Apgar scores

HIE also often involves a brain injury, which is referred to as a hypoxic ischemic insult (injury). Newborns diagnosed with HIE often experience one of the following three types of medical conditions:

  • Perinatal asphyxia (reduced blood and gas flow between a pregnant mother and fetus before or during the birthing process)
  • Intrapartum asphyxia (oxygen deprivation to the fetus during the baby’s delivery, resulting in a physical injury, often a brain injury)
  • Birth asphyxia (lack of blood and oxygen flow to a fetus shortly before, during or after a baby’s birth)

HIE often causes other common birth injuries, including cerebral palsy, developmental delays, cognitive impairment and other long-term physical and mental disabilities.

What causes Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy?

Errors made by medical professionals often result in Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy. Examples of medical negligence often associated with such birth injuries include:

  • Anesthesia errors during the baby’s delivery.
  • Not taking maternal risk factors into consideration during a woman’s pregnancy or delivery, including high blood pressure and preeclampsia.
  • Infections that occur during the baby’s delivery, either to the infant or the mother.
  • Not monitoring or responding to fetal distress in a timely manner.
  • Complications with the placenta or umbilical cord, including umbilical cord prolapse.
  • Medication errors that induce contractions, particularly misuse of Pitocin.

Whatever the cause of your child’s Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, make sure you fully understand your rights. Talk to Ohio birth injury lawyer John A. Lancione and learn more about the legal options available to you.

You have rights. We can fight for them. Contact our Ohio law firm

The more you know about how the legal system works when it comes to birth injuries, the more informed you can be when making important legal decisions. That’s why we want to meet with you. Attorney Lancione can explain in detail the different legal options available to you. And if you ever have a question about the status of your case, you can call attorney Lancione directly on his personal cellphone at any time.

We do things different at The Lancione Law Firm. We put your best interests first. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with Cleveland birth injury attorney John A. Lancione. You can reach us online or call (440) 331-6100 or (877) 515-4369 to start your journey to justice with us.

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