Those who have been following our blog closely for the last week have undoubtedly gained a much better understanding of hydrocephalus, a serious condition that the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke reports as being diagnosed in about one to two of every 1,000 babies.

Now that you have a better understanding of the condition itself, including its causes, symptoms and various treatments, it’s time to look at it through the lens of medical malpractice, meaning how it is that physicians can fail regarding hydrocephalus.

As we discussed in an earlier post, newborns and babies suffering from hydrocephalus typically have certain telltale symptoms — larger heads, visibly swollen veins, bulging at the soft spots, etc. — while the condition itself can be verified through diagnostic imagining exams such as MRIs, CT or ultrasounds.

We also discussed how there are two medical procedures — a shunt procedure or a ventriculostomy — that can be undertaken to help treat those newborns or babies diagnosed with hydrocephalus

Medical malpractice can result when a child with hydrocephalus suffers unnecessarily because their treating physician fails to note the presence of these telltale symptoms, fails to order the necessary diagnostic exams, and/or fails to properly interpret the results of these exams.

Similarly, medical malpractice can result when a child with hydrocephalus suffers unnecessarily because some sort of surgical error occurred during either procedure, or because the physician failed to monitor their patient’s progress after either procedure was performed.

At Richards & Richards LLP, we have been helping clients injured by medical negligence secure justice for over 45 years. Indeed, this extensive experience coupled with the in-depth knowledge and skill of our attorneys, means we know what it takes to build strong and compelling hydrocephalus cases on behalf of injured children and their families.

Please visit our website to learn more about how we can help you.