Birth Injuries Caused by Oxygen Deprivation: Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

During pregnancy, certain maternal, fetal, or neo-natal conditions can interfere with normal blood flow or reduce the oxygen content to the fetal brain.

These conditions can happen before the onset of labour, during labour and delivery or after the baby’s birth.

Oxygen Deprivation = Injury

Unfortunately, any time the brain is starved for oxygen, an injury can result. Complications during labour and delivery can cause injuries that have serious long term consequences to your baby like permanent neurological injury or physical handicaps such as cerebral palsy.

Doctors refer to the neurological impairments or injuries caused by oxygen deprivation as Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE).

Doctors Routinely Deny Responsibility

When parents find out that their child has suffered a birth injury caused by Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, they are usually told by their doctor that the outcome was unavoidable. Sometimes parents suspect that all of the facts that lead to their baby’s injury are not being fully disclosed.

Medical Records Require Experienced Review

Medical malpractice lawyer experienced in evaluating birth injury cases can help by reviewing you and your baby’s clinical records to determine whether the records indicate signs that your baby was showing distress from oxygen starvation.

A birth injury lawyer will consider whether there is evidence that your doctors or nurses failed to respond in a timely manner to signs of fetal distress and whether your baby’s brain injury or physical disability could have been prevented.

Think We Can Help You?

If your child has suffered from a birth injury you can contact medical malpractice lawyer John McKiggan Q.C. online or by calling (877) 423-2050 or toll free at (877) 423-2050.

You can also get more free information on John’s Halifax Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog.

You may also want to read John McKiggan’s book Health Scare: The Consumer’s Guide to Medical Malpractice Claims in Canada. You can buy a copy on Amazon.com(all sale proceeds are donated to charity) or you can get a free copy by contacting us through our website.