As the father and mother of a newborn baby, one of the most serious injuries your child can suffer is any type of traumatic brain injury, otherwise known as a TBI. A TBI for children can detrimentally affect them for the rest of their lives. It can damage the child physically and emotionally and seriously slow his or her cognitive retention or memory during the most important learning years of his or her life.
Many times, serious head trauma occurs during the delivery of the baby and may lead to a number of adverse health conditions, such as cephalohematoma (blood hemorrhage), caput succedaneum (fluid retention), head deformity, and various other types of hemorrhaging.
Traumatic brain injuries that take place during the delivery process can also be caused by decreased oxygen, otherwise known as hypoxia, and decreased blood flow to a baby’s brain, known as ischemia. This can happen if the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck for too long and action is not taken, or if the delivering physician or nurse is unable to maneuver the baby out of the vagina in the proper amount of time.
If you have had a baby who suffers from brain damage as a result of medical negligence in a Pennsylvania hospital, then you probably want to know if the injury could have been prevented. There are rare instances where it is necessary for medical professionals to injure the baby in order to keep the child alive, but, in most cases, injury can and should be prevented at all costs. If the TBI was caused by an injury that took place during the perinatal period, the moments around the time of birth, and was avoidable, you may have a valid claim against the hospital, doctor, and nurses.
At Richards & Richards, LLP, we have been helping the families of babies with traumatic brain injuries for more than fifty years. Medical malpractice attorney and nurse practitioner, Veronica Richards, understands both the legal and medical facets of child TBI cases. If you have questions, call Richards & Richards, LLP today for a free consultation at 412-261-2620 or you can click here to send us a message online.
