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Brain Injuries and Birth Injuries

Experienced Cleveland birth injury attorney explains what you need to know

Many children are born with a brain injury. An estimated 3 in 1,000 newborn children have a brain injury, making such injuries one of the most common birth injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But what some people might not realize is many traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in newborn children occur due to medical negligence, including mistakes made by doctors, anesthesiologists and other healthcare professionals.

Ohio birth injury lawyer John A. Lancione understands why negligence often causes brain damage in infants. That’s because he and his entire legal team at The Lancione Law Firm have years of experience representing families throughout the country dealing with such serious cases.

Nationally recognized for his work on birth injury claims, attorney Lancione has the knowledge and the expertise you need to hold medical professionals and institutions responsible for their actions. We also never forget what matters most – your best interests.

What are common infant brain injuries?

There are many different types of brain injuries sustained by infants before, during or soon after birth. Such brain injuries include:

  • Cerebral palsy, which is one of the most common brain injuries among infants.
  • Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, a medical term used to describe a specific type of brain injury due to lack of oxygen.
  • Closed brain injuries, which involve internal brain damage.
  • Open brain injuries, which involve physical objects penetrating the brain and causing a brain injury.

Whatever type of injury your family is dealing with, make sure your child’s brain injury is properly diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. The sooner you seek medical attention, the better.

What causes brain damage in newborns?

Many birth injuries in newborn infants occur due to risk factors ignored by medical professionals during a woman’s pregnancy or delivery. Such risk factors may involve the mother or the fetus. Common risk factors associated with infant brain injuries include:

  • Lack of oxygen for the fetus or baby during pregnancy or the delivery. Known as birth asphyxia, oxygen deprivation is a common cause of permanent brain damage in newborn children.
  • Infections in the mother or the fetus during the pregnancy.
  • If the fetus is larger than normal, a medical condition known as macrosomia. In particular, a baby with a large head or body can become trapped inside the mother during labor or delivery and cause complications resulting in a brain injury.
  • Abnormal fetal position, especially if the fetus is facing backward or angled to one side.
  • Previous difficult deliveries for the mother are a common risk factor associated with infant birth injuries.

Trained medical professionals know what to look for and how to respond effectively in such situations. When they don’t and your child sustains a brain injury, they need to be held accountable for their actions.

In addition, brain injuries may be caused directly by negligent medical professionals, such as misuse of medical instruments during the baby’s delivery, especially the misuse of forceps and extractors.

What are the warning signs?

There are many ways parents can tell if their newborn child has a brain injury. Some of the most common warning signs include:

  • Low Apgar score soon after the child’s birth.
  • Development delays and missed developmental milestones.
  • Abnormal eye movements.
  • Frequent seizures.
  • Difficulty sleeping.
  • Excessive crying.

Many times, symptoms of an infant brain injury might not be evident for several weeks, months or even longer after a child’s birth. This is why it’s important to take such warning signs seriously. Whenever you notice something wrong with your child, talk to your pediatrician right away. The sooner your child’s brain injury is diagnosed and treated, the better.

Your family has rights. We can stand up for them. Contact us

Birth injury claims involving infant brain injuries can be very complicated legal cases. Part of it has to do with determining who is at fault. Even if a medical professional clearly made a mistake that resulted in your child’s brain injury, most healthcare professionals deny doing anything instead. Instead, they often hire lawyers to defend their actions and deny your claim.

We know what’s at stake and we’re prepared to do the work that needs to be done to build the strongest possible legal case. Attorney Lancione knows how thoroughly investigate such cases and frequently consults with highly trained medical experts. That’s why other law firms regularly refer such birth injury cases to our law firm. And if you ever have a question about the status of your case, you can call attorney Lancione directly on his personal cellphone anytime.

We do things different at The Lancione Law Firm. Learn more about what we can do for you. Contact us and 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 schedule an appointment.

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