Oxygen Deficiency
Oxygen Deficiency
Oxygen deprivation during delivery can leave a baby with an irreversible life-long birth injury. Depending upon the severity, hypoxia and anoxia can cause severe disabilities and developmental delays. If a preventable medical error in the delivery room causes an irreversible birth injury due to oxygen deficiency, health care providers and insurance companies need to be held accountable. The expenses associated with medical costs, and potentially lifelong care can be astronomical. If you suspect medical malpractice resulted in oxygen deficiency in your baby during delivery, you need to contact a personal injury lawyer with proven birth injury case experience as soon as possible. Listed below are some common injuries associated with oxygen deficiency during delivery.
Oxygen Deficiency Injuries
- Cerebral palsy
- Developmental delays
- Vision impairment
- Autism
- Seizures
- Epilepsy
- Mental retardation
- Hearing loss
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Hypoxia
Hypoxia happens when a baby has low oxygen levels. In babies that are born premature, hypoxia can happen due to not having the lungs fully developed. If there’s not enough oxygen in the infant’s body, due to a preventable medical error, that can lead to potentially irreversible adverse health conditions. If the baby’s oxygen source is cutoff for a short period of time, say under a few minutes, the baby can quickly be in danger of hypoxia. This can happen if the umbilical cord prolapses or if the cord becomes kinked or pinched during the delivery.
Anoxia
If the baby goes more than a few minutes without oxygen, you could be looking at anoxia, which is a condition that involves a complete absence of oxygen. For example, if oxygen doesn’t get to the baby quickly, he or she could be at risk for cerebral anoxia, which occurs when the brain is completely deprived of oxygen. If this happens, the baby is at risk for potentially permanent brain damage. If a child is in danger in the womb and immediate medical intervention, such as an emergency C-section, is delayed, it can put babies at risk for certain irreversible life-long conditions.
Common Causes of Oxygen Deficiency
- Fetal distress
- Trauma in utero
- Preeclampsia
- Eclampsia
- Waiting too long to perform a C-section
- Complications with the placenta
- Trauma
- Umbilical cord prolapse
- Excessive medication in utero
- Shoulder dystocia
Long-Term Impact of Oxygen Deficiency
Each case is different, but oxygen deficiency outcome is almost always related to the length of time a baby was deprived of oxygen and the severity of the injuries sustained. Since the brain essentially goes into emergency mode when it is deprived of oxygen for a period of time, it can cause immediate critical problems like seizures or epilepsy to occur. Depending upon whether or not your child received immediate and appropriate intervention, you could be looking at injuries that range from mild developmental delays all the way to severe mental, physical and emotional disabilities. Since mild cases of oxygen deficiency are sometimes easy to overlook, it’s important to observe your baby closely. If you suspect any type of brain injury or other problem associated from a potential oxygen deficiency in the delivery room, you need to speak with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible about your case.
Preventable Errors in The Delivery Room
Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Although we think of the delivery room as being a very high-functioning and extremely careful and safe environment, that’s sadly not always the case. Medical errors and malpractice can and do happen in the delivery room. When these errors happen, they can have catastrophic and lifelong implications for babies and their families. A birth injury caused by oxygen deficiency can lead to permanent brain damage and other very serious traumatic injuries with lifelong side effects. If you suspect that a preventable error in the delivery room caused your child’s injury or oxygen deficiency, you need to get with a lawyer as soon as possible. The expenses associated with lifelong care can be astronomical for families dealing with oxygen deficiency injuries in their infants.
Jackson Birth Injury Oxygen Deficiency Lawyer
If your baby was injured or deprived of oxygen due to medical malpractice by a doctor or obstetric healthcare provider, it will be necessary to have a thorough investigation. Brain damage and other oxygen deficiency injuries can be devastating, catastrophic or worse. If you suspect medical errors, negligence or malpractice was to blame for your child’s birth injury or oxygen deficiency during delivery in or around the Jackson Metro Area, contact the skilled and proven personal injury team at Coxwell & Associates, PLLC at (601) 265-7766 for a free case consultation today.
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