Tag: baltimore birth injury law firm

Misuse of Pitocin Can Cause Birth Injury and Uterine Rupture

Posted on by YostLaw

Not every woman’s labor is ideal. Some women need medication to help start (induce) labor or manage the length of time the woman is in labor. It is relatively common for pregnant women to be administered Pitocin (or its generic, oxytocin) to manage labor. Pitocin stimulates the uterus, helping to produce contractions. The problem is that Pitocin can take up to 40 minutes to fully kick in.

Contractions during labor occur in a “squeeze and release” pattern of uterine muscle tightening followed by uterine muscle relaxation. Ideally, Pitocin helps establish and maintain a healthy pattern of uterine contractions during labor but, if the wrong amount of Pitocin is delivered, or this medication is introduced too quickly, it can overstimulate the uterus and cause dangerous contractions harmful to both the baby and the mother.

If the mother is experiencing too many contractions or those contractions are too strong or last too long, the baby’s oxygen supply could be interrupted, causing fetal distress. If a shortage of oxygen (hypoxia) also causes the fetal heart rate to slow (ischemia) the infant has suffered a hypoxic-ischemic episode. If the oxygen and blood flow to the baby’s brain are interrupted during labor and delivery, even if the interruption is only for a short time, the baby may suffer a type of permanent brain damage called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE.

Hypoxic birth injuries can cause:

  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Cognitive Disabilities
  • Severe Seizures
  • Behavioral Disorders

Less often, the over stimulation of the uterus with Pitocin, or Oxycontin, can cause a uterine rupture, endangering bot the mother and the baby and requiring emergency c-section to immediately deliver the baby and repair or remove (hysterectomy) the mother’s ruptured uterus.

Complications due to the administration of Pitocin during childbirth are the cause of preventable injury and death. Our experienced attorneys fight for individuals who have been negatively impacted by the negligence of others. If you would like to discuss a potential claim arising from a birth or birth-related injury, the attorneys at Yost Legal Group are experienced professionals ready to investigate your claim with compassion and determination. For a free consultation, please call The Yost Legal Group at 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529.)

The Yost Legal Group – Experienced Attorneys Dedicated to Protecting Your Rights

HIE and Cerebral Palsy Impact Thousands of Infants Every Year

Posted on by YostLaw

Birth injuries and birth trauma are far too common in the United States. Every year, thousands of infants will be born with life-threatening conditions that are the result of a medical mistake by a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional. The most serious birth injuries are caused when a lack of oxygen damages a child’s brain. At the Yost Legal Group, our legal team wants to educate people about the dangers of these injuries, as well as their causes, symptoms and treatments.

When a shortage of oxygen (hypoxia) also causes the fetal heart rate to slow (ischemia) the infant has suffered a hypoxic-ischemic episode. If the oxygen and blood flow to the baby’s brain are interrupted during labor and delivery, even if the interruption is only for a short time, the baby may suffer a type of permanent brain damage called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE.

While HIE is the cause of many cases of cerebral palsy in infants, babies are often diagnosed with HIE years before a CP diagnosis is made. Here are some additional statistics about HIE which show how serious this problem is in the United States:

  • HIE caused by neonatal asphyxia is the leading cause of infant fatalities in the U.S.
  • Between 15-28% of all incidents of cerebral palsy are the result of HIE
  • The incidence rate of HIE among premature babies is as high as 60%

Cerebral palsy is one of the most costly neurologic disabilities in children because of its frequency (2 in every 1000 live births) and its lifelong disabling impact. Cerebral palsy cannot be cured but treatment will very often improve a child’s capabilities and in general, the earlier treatment begins the better chances are that children will overcome developmental disabilities.

If you would like to discuss your child’s potential claim arising from HIE or CP, the attorneys at Yost Legal Group are experienced professionals ready to investigate your claim with compassion and determination. For a free consultation, please call us at 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529).

Birth Injuries Alarmingly High in U.S.

Posted on by YostLaw

While our country boasts some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world, the U.S. has a surprisingly high infant mortality rate, ranking 180th in the world for infant deaths. Thousands of babies do not survive the birthing process and even more experience defect or deformity at birth.

A birth injury is defined as any damage or injury to the infant’s body occurring before, during, or slightly after the child’s birth. Birth injuries vary from minor, easily resolved issues to issues so severe the infant does not survive. Complications of pregnancy or labor such as prolonged labor, where the baby is unusually small or large or when the baby is in a difficult position during labor and delivery, can bring about difficulties for a newborn.

Bringing a new baby into this world should be the most joyous time for a family, however, this is not always the case. There are thousands of women whose infants experience birth injury or death due to the negligence or malpractice on behalf of the doctor or hospital where the baby is delivered.

Maryland is home to one of our country’s landmark cases in a birth injury. In 2012, a Baltimore Circuit Court judge awarded one family $55 million in their law suit against John Hopkins Hospital. The court found the hospital negligent for waiting two hours to perform an emergency C-section on a mother whose baby was in distress. As a result, the baby boy was born with permanent and severe mental and physical disabilities.

Traumatic birth injuries include:
• Erb’s Palsy
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Brain Stem Injuries
• Closed Head Injury
• Anoxia and Hypoxia
• Infections
• Seizures
• Stillbirths
• Prenatal asphyxia
• Shoulder Dystocia
• Fractures
• Failure to Notice Fetal Distress
• Spinal cord trauma
• Intracranial hemorrhage

Financial compensation can assist in getting families the support they deserve, but birth injury law suits can also serve as a way to highlight unsafe practices at medical facilities and prevent further negligent acts of hospitals and physicians.

You will carry the burden and expense of your child’s care for a lifetime. To find out more about your rights, and how you can obtain the compensation you deserve to help you care for your child, please contact the experienced and knowledgeable birth injury attorneys at The Yost Legal Group.

If your child has suffered from birth defect, birth injury or wrongful death in Baltimore MD or Northern Virginia, call 1-800-YOST-LAW (1-800-967-8529) to speak with one of our experienced attorneys today.

The Yost Legal Group Birth Injury Law Group will help you find answers. If you have questions, call to speak with a experienced birth injury lawyer for help.

The Yost Legal Group, Experienced Lawyers Dedicated to Protecting your Rights.

Contact Form

DO I HAVE A CASE?

Contact us at the Yost Legal Group for a free initial consultation. We can help to provide information about ongoing litigation or discuss the circumstances of your individual case. There is no fee or expense unless you recover.