Wayne County Hypoxic Brain Injury Attorneys

Respected Birth Injury Lawyers Aggressively Pursuing Compensation on Behalf of Families Throughout Wayne County

Oxygen is vital to a newborn baby. If a baby experiences a lack of oxygen during gestation or the labor and delivery process, the baby can enter into an anoxic state. Hypoxia is a condition that occurs when a baby receives a lack of oxygen in the brain. 

At the Wayne County birth injury law firm of Sommers Schwartz, P.C., we proudly represent families in medical malpractice cases against negligent healthcare providers. We handle all types of claims, including birth injuries related to oxygen deprivation. Our experienced, compassionate team can help your family seek justice for everything you’ve been through. 

What Is Hypoxia?

Hypoxia occurs when one or more organs do not receive enough oxygen. In the birth injury context, cerebral hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen in the brain, is the most common. Cerebral hypoxia is a leading cause of fetal injury and death. In less severe cases, where the oxygen deprivation is only for a short time, a baby may recover with no long-term symptoms. However, moderate hypoxia can result in a baby developing cerebral palsy or other neurological conditions. In severe hypoxia cases, a baby can die.

Delivery room doctors and nurses must be vigilant when looking for signs that a baby is not getting sufficient oxygen and should take the appropriate interventions immediately.

What Are the Symptoms of Hypoxia?

The symptoms of cerebral hypoxia in adults and children include:

• Changes in the skin’s color.
• Confusion.
• Coughing.
• Rapid breathing.
• Rapid (or slowed) heart rate.
• Seizures.
• Shortness of breath.
• Sweating.
• Wheezing.

Of course, most of these symptoms are difficult—if not impossible—to identify in a newborn baby. Hence, doctors rely on oxygen monitors to assess a newborn’s blood-oxygen level. 

Causes of Hypoxia in Newborn Babies

Babies enter a hypoxic condition when the brain isn’t receiving the supply of oxygen needed to function correctly. Although there are many possible causes of hypoxia, most cases that arise during labor or shortly after birth are the result of one of the following:

• Low maternal blood pressure.
• Placental abruption.
• Umbilical cord complications.
• Uterine rupture.

However, a fetus can also experience hypoxia during gestation. Gestational hypoxia, or neonatal hypoxia, is usually caused by one of the following:

• Maternal infections.
• Placenta blood circulation issues.
• Preeclampsia.
• Stroke.

What Is a Birth Injury Lawsuit?

Families with a child who suffered a hypoxic injury or any other type of birth injury can claim the birth injury against the parties responsible for their child’s injuries. Birth injury is any injury that arises during a woman’s pregnancy or the labor and delivery process. 

While some birth injuries are due to genetic conditions or factors outside a doctor’s control, many labor and delivery errors result from a healthcare provider’s negligence. This isn’t to say that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers don’t do a good job; they usually do. However, even the best physicians have bad days, make careless mistakes, or occasionally exercise poor judgment. Sadly, these oversights and errors can have a lifelong impact on a child and their family. 

Damages in a Wayne County Birth Injury Case

Families that successfully pursue a Wayne County birth injury claim are entitled to recover financial compensation for the economic and non-economic damages they endured due to their child’s injury or death. Economic damages refer to out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the incident, for example, any medical care your child needs due to their injury. Economic damages include the cost of ongoing assistive care for your child to accommodate any temporary or lifelong disability. 

Non-economic damages are more subjective because they are harder to assign a value to. Non-economic damages in a birth injury case compensate families for the emotional and psychological impact of a doctor’s negligence on their lives. Non-economic damages include any pain and suffering you or your child experienced or will experience in the future. Other types of non-economic damages available in a Wayne County birth injury lawsuit include: 

• Mental anguish.
• Loss of enjoyment of life.
• Disability or disfigurement.

Of course, birth injury cases are about much more than money. By bringing a Wayne County birth injury case, families encourage the healthcare profession to provide the appropriate level of care to every patient. 

Contact the Compassionate Birth Injury Lawyers at Sommers Schwartz, P.C., to Schedule a Free Consultation

If your child suffered from cerebral hypoxia or another serious injury at birth and you want to discuss your options with a knowledgeable Detroit birth injury lawyer, contact Sommers Schwartz to schedule a free consultation. For more than 45 years, our medical malpractice and birth injury lawyers have stood out as pioneers in fighting medical negligence and protecting the rights of patients and their families. 

To learn more about how we can help you pursue a claim for compensation based on your child’s injuries, call 1-800-783-0989 to schedule a free consultation. Calling is free, and because we take all birth injury cases on a contingency basis, you will not be responsible for any legal fees unless we can recover compensation on your behalf.