The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that begins at the spinal cord in the neck and extends through the shoulder, arm, and hand. When functioning properly, the brachial plexus allows for normal use of the entire arm and hand. If the brachial plexus is damaged during childbirth and the injury is severe or treatment is delayed, the child may never regain full function.
How much do you trust your doctor’s prescriptions? A lot? Great, that is ideal. Now – how much do you trust his handwriting? How much
This law firm is warning parents about the recall of Docusate, a laxative used to treat constipation in children and infants. The FDA has confirmed the product has been contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia), a bacteria linked to an ongoing outbreak. To date, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed 58 cases of B. Cepacia, from 8 states, including Pennsylvania, linked to Docusate products.
An infant’s entrance into the world is a challenging time. Going from intrauterine to extrauterine life results in many physiological changes; the lungs take over gas exchange and become filled with air rather than fluid, and blood flow to the lungs is substantially increased. If appropriate care is not provided to the newborn during delivery or while in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), many different complications, sometimes life threatening, can occur.
Doctors that rely too heavily on pulse oximetry screening to identify congenital heart defects in newborns may be committing malpractice if they fail to undertake an adequate physical exam of the child.
During and after birth, infants are at risk of contracting serious infections. Many neonatal infections can lead to devastating consequences if not detected and treated soon after birth. If your infant developed an infection at birth that was not properly recognized and treated, this may have been medical malpractice and you may contact our office to request a free case evaluation.
Delays in diagnosing congenital heart defects can lead to serious injuries and the need to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are structural abnormalities present at birth that affect the heart’s proper functioning. While medical advances have improved diagnosis and treatment, delays in identifying CHDs can have severe consequences, including serious injuries or even death.
Among the most unfortunate legal cases that our law firm handles are those involving death or injury to a fetus or newborn child. Too often what should be a time of great joy is instead filled with sadness because obstetricians, nurses or hospitals fail to assure that mother and child receive appropriate medical care during labor and delivery.
A tragic case where reliance on dysfunctional Electronic Health Records (EHR) contributed to a delayed diagnosis of herpes meningitis in a newborn. Despite worsening symptoms, automated “default entries” in the digital record repeatedly listed the infant’s condition as normal, leading to irreversible brain damage and blindness. We examine how the “copy-paste” nature of modern medical charting can discourage thorough physical examinations and facilitate catastrophic medical errors in neonatal intensive care units.
This client was born premature, but healthy. The doctor decided the baby would never lead a “normal” life. So no resuscitation measures were taken… until the child’s father forced the doctor to resuscitate his baby. Because of the doctor’s delay, the baby suffered irreversible brain injury. The parents contacted one of our lawyers who conducted an investigation, filed a lawsuit and discovered the truth.
In one of the most significant medical malpractice cases in Blair County history, a jury awarded $4 million to the family of Jacob Mayhue for life-altering brain injuries sustained during a botched delivery. The lawsuit centered on the improper use of forceps and a delayed emergency C-section that resulted in cord prolapse and severe oxygen deprivation. This landmark verdict highlights the devastating consequences of obstetrical negligence and the critical importance of timely intervention during fetal distress.
In the second part of our guide to birth injury evaluation, we dive into the clinical and scientific defenses often raised by healthcare providers. This article analyzes common “hired gun” tactics, such as the “narrow window” defense and unproven theories regarding intrauterine infection (chorioamnionitis) and cytokine-induced brain injury. We discuss the gold standard of electronic fetal monitoring and how a meticulous review of medical literature can dismantle illegitimate medical theories used to deflect accountability in cases of obstetrical negligence.
