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Can the Use of Forceps During Delivery Cause Cerebral Palsy?
When a child is diagnosed with a life-changing condition like cerebral palsy, the parents' first question is usually, "Why?" While there are many possible causes of cerebral palsy, parents often look to the mother's pregnancy, labor, and delivery for an explanation. Did a mistake during the birth process cause the child's condition? If forceps, vacuum extraction, or other tools were used during the delivery, did the use or misuse of these tools injure the baby?
Forceps Delivery and Brain Damage
Can the use of forceps during delivery cause cerebral palsy? While the jury is still out on this question, there is some evidence to suggest that forceps may play a role in certain cases. Forceps are sometimes used during a baby's birth if labor is not progressing normally. They are also sometimes used if the baby's head is too large to fit through the mother's pelvis, if the baby is in a breech position (bottom first), or if the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck. The instrument guides the baby through the birth canal, ideally, allowing the baby to be born without complication.
Failure to Diagnose and Treat Maternal Infections Can Lead to Birth Injuries
Expectant mothers usually prioritize their health and safety as much as possible. They recognize that any illness or injury can hurt their growing baby. Unfortunately, even the most prudent mother may contract an infection during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Because infections can be so dangerous for pregnant women and newborns, doctors must be vigilant for signs of infection. Failure to promptly diagnose and treat infections can severely harm the baby or the mother.
Undiagnosed Infections in Pregnant Women
Infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. According to the CDC, infections are responsible for 12.5 percent of maternal deaths in the United States. The most common types of infection during pregnancy are urinary tract infections, followed by respiratory infections like pneumonia. Other common infections include sexually transmitted infections such as herpes and gastrointestinal infections.
Electrical Stimulation Therapy for Children With Cerebral Palsy
One of the most characteristic symptoms of cerebral palsy is difficulty with movement. Some sufferers of cerebral palsy have mild muscle rigidity or spastic movements while others experience debilitating uncontrolled movements, muscle spasms, and loss of control.
Although there is no cure for cerebral palsy, medical and technological advances provide both children and parents with hope. One option many parents of children with cerebral palsy explore is electrical stimulation therapy.
What is Electrical Stimulation Therapy?
Electrical stimulation therapy or functional electrical stimulation use electrical currents to simulate nerves in people with cerebral palsy, stroke, or other medical conditions. Some evidence suggests that electoral muscle stimulation may help children with cerebral palsy gain greater control over their muscles – especially when combined with physical therapy. Nerve stimulation may help children walk and play, reduce their muscle rigidity and spasticity, and increase motor function.
Can I Sue a Doctor for Giving My Baby a Skull Fracture?
Skull fractures during birth are more common than many people realize. While many skull fractures sustained at birth are minor and will heal on their own without any long-term effects, some can be much more serious. In some cases, a baby can sustain a skull fracture that leads to serious health complications, including brain damage. If your baby sustained a skull fracture during birth and suffered health complications as a result, you may be wondering if you can sue the doctor for medical malpractice.
When Is an Infant Skull Fracture Considered Medical Malpractice?
As with any potential medical malpractice case, there are a few key elements that must be present in order for you to have a valid claim. First, it must be proven that the doctor breached the standard of care that is expected of medical professionals. Second, it must be shown that this breach of care directly led to your baby’s skull fracture. Finally, you must be able to prove that your baby suffered health complications as a result of the skull fracture.
4 Complementary Therapy Options for Children with Cerebral Palsy
If you are the parent of a child with cerebral palsy, you have probably spent many hours reading books, browsing the internet, and talking to your child's doctors about cerebral palsy treatment options. Cerebral palsy can cause a wide range of symptoms, from spastic movements and muscle rigidity to intellectual disability. According to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, about a quarter of children with CP also suffer from behavioral and emotional problems such as anxiety and difficulty relating to their peers.
Traditional CP treatments include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, medications, orthodontic devices, and surgery. While these treatments can be very effective, many parents are starting to look into alternative treatment options as well.
Alternative Treatments for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Parents of children with cerebral palsy often take a multifaceted approach to treatment. They pursue "out of the box" treatment options in addition to traditional treatment options. If your child has cerebral palsy, consider asking your child's doctor about:
Birth Injury Claims for Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Resulting in Cerebral Palsy
When a baby is born, the timing is crucial. Infants must transition from receiving oxygen and nutrients through the umbilical cord to breathing on their own and receiving oxygen through their lungs. If this transition is not smooth, it can result in a lack of oxygen to the brain, which is called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE. When HIE occurs, it can cause serious injury to the brain. In some cases, HIE can result in a lifelong condition called cerebral palsy.
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy after suffering from HIE at birth, you may be able to file a birth injury claim against the doctor or hospital responsible for your child's care. An experienced birth injury attorney can help you understand your legal options and take the next steps.
What is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy?
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a type of brain injury that occurs when an infant's brain doesn't receive enough oxygen. HIE may be caused by a number of factors, including:
“Robot Clothes” May Offer Increased Mobility for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy affects an individual’s ability to control his or her muscles, but the condition varies significantly with regard to severity. Some children with cerebral palsy are only mildly affected by the condition. They can play, walk, or even participate in sports. Others are nearly immobilized by the condition.
Fortunately, innovations in science, medicine, and engineering offer hope to cerebral palsy sufferers and their parents. Just recently, UC Riverside engineers received a $1.5 million grant to develop clothing that will increase mobility for children with cerebral palsy. The so-called “robot clothing” will, ideally, enable children with cerebral palsy to better control limb movement, perform physical activities like eating and grooming, and be more independent.
Innovative Robotic Clothing Will Incorporate Mechanical and Digital Technology
Anyone who has watched children interact with the world knows the critical role physical movement plays in the lives of children. Kids love to touch and explore their surroundings. They play with toys and chase each other on the playground. Children with moderate to severe cerebral palsy are limited in their physical abilities. Many struggle to crawl, walk, feed themselves, write, or hold objects. They are burdened by spasms and chaotic movements. Scientists have developed many different strategies and technologies to aid cerebral palsy sufferers, including many computer-based technologies that help children with CP learn, grow, and communicate with others.
Why Do Women Die During and After Childbirth?
When a woman dies during pregnancy, childbirth, or in the 42 days following childbirth or the end of a pregnancy, it is considered a maternal mortality. Despite having access to some of the best healthcare in the world, American women suffer from maternal mortality at an alarmingly high rate compared to women in other wealthy, developed nations. Black American women are at a particularly high risk of falling victim to maternal mortality. Tragically, studies suggest that most of these deaths are due to preventable causes and pregnancy complications.
When a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, her family is left to deal with overwhelming grief, suffering, and guilt. If your wife, daughter, or mother died as a consequence of poor medical care, you may be eligible to pursue compensation on her behalf. To learn more about ways that women commonly suffer from maternal mortality, read on.
Can Speech Therapy Help Children with Cerebral Palsy?
One of the most common symptoms of cerebral palsy is difficulty controlling muscles throughout the body. This can result in muscle spasticity, difficulty with mobility, and challenges with speaking, eating, and facial expressions. Many different professionals help children with cerebral palsy overcome their physical challenges and one of the most helpful of these professionals can be a speech therapist.
How Does Cerebral Palsy Impact Speech and Facial Movement?
Verbal communication delays are common in children with cerebral palsy - up to 75 percent, by some estimates. Limited control over face, tongue, and neck muscles can make it difficult for children with cerebral palsy to clearly express their feelings verbally. Fortunately, speech therapy proves effective for many, if not most, of these children and allows them to enjoy a higher quality of life.
Multicystic Encephalomalacia and Cerebral Palsy in Infants
All healthy humans have an important fluid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cords, protecting the crucial central nervous system. CSF helps prevent injury to these fragile parts of our body, cushioning them when they are injured by falls or impact injuries. CSF also plays an important role in transporting nutrients to the brain and taking away waste products.
Certain kinds of brain damage can cause pseudocysts, or fluid-filled sacs, to present in the brain’s white matter and neocortex after serious brain injuries that cause softening or loss of brain tissue. This condition is known as cystic or multicystic encephalomalacia. Instead of normal brain tissue, CSF fills these sacs, resulting in long-term brain damage, which, among other symptoms, commonly manifests as cerebral palsy. When this happens as a result of trauma to the mother or child during childbirth and is caused by a negligent healthcare provider, the parents of the child may be able to recover compensation.
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