August 18, 2015

Whether from oxygen deprivation, delayed birth, or blunt force trauma, medical malpractice is often responsible for a child’s birth injury near Washington D.C. Injured patients can bring medical malpractice claims against the doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and emergency medical technicians who acted negligently during the birthing process. Though malpractice can lead to many different types of injuries, here’s a look at some of the most common birth injuries infants may suffer.

Oxygen deprivation
Oxygen deprivation can occur from either external forces or from internal forces. Examples of external forces include kinked or prolapsed umbilical cords, while internal forces include low birth rate or underdeveloped lungs. Victims of an oxygen deprivation birth injury may suffer consequences lasting from a few days to a lifetime. Doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff are expected to know complexities of prenatal care. As a result, if a medical professional’s blatant misconduct led to the infant’s oxygen deprivation, then the parents may be able to file a malpractice claim.

Delayed birth
Medical Malpractice and Birth Injuries in Washington, DCAn infant’s brain is able to withstand a specific amount of pressure for a certain period of time. Therefore, labors that last more than 18 hours can cause extreme compression of the infant’s brain. When this occurs, the baby may show signs of fetal distress, as the brain begins to react in an emergency mode to the extreme pressure. One common sign of fetal distress is elevated blood pressure. Delayed birth is a leading birth injury that triggers medical malpractice claims.

Immediate birth injury
While the signs of physician error may sometimes be difficult to detect, other birth injury symptoms are immediate. For example, bruises, broken bones, and injuries to the baby’s head are all signs of forceps or vacuum extraction injuries. These kinds of injuries are usually considered mild birth injuries. More severe injuries, such as brain injury, may be discoverable over time. However, severe birth injuries may be immediately recognizable if the infant is bluish in color, has trouble breathing, or has soft bulges in his or her head. Other immediate signs of a severe birth injury include inability to cry and spastic motions.