Infant Suffers Erb’s Palsy Injury Despite the fact that Doctors Were Aware Of Warning Signs

A kind of lawsuit commonly seen by a birth injury attorney involves an Erb’s palsy injury. This sort of injury can leave a child with lifelong damage to the arm.

When evaluating these cases an erbs palsy attorney considers various factors. Among the concerns is if the doctor involved had data suggesting there could be complications during a vaginal delivery and took appropriate measures to avoid them.

In one documented lawsuit, for instance, the baby’s mother had earlier delivered 2 additional children both of whom had been born large . The mother was recorded as being borderline for gestational diabetes in the 4th month of her pregnancy. She had disroportionate weight gain while in the pregnancy. The unborn child had been noted larger than expected at four months of pregnancy and to be in the ninetieth percentile for weight. The woman’s doctors scheduled her for induced vaginal labor to take place during her 40th week of pregnancy.

Once admitted to the hospital for the planned vaginal delivery a number of worrisome symptoms were noticed. After the woman’s membranes ruptured, large amounts of meconium came out and later a monitor recorded early decelerations in the unborn child’s heart rate. These could be warning signs of fetal distress. However, the doctor did not make an effort to examine the pregnant woman one last time for gestational diabetes or to calculate the baby’s weight before inducing her. The doctor did not alter the plan and do a C-section.

Hospital documents revealed that shoulder dystocia was present and that subsequent to delivery of the baby’s head, as opposed to using a commonly employed procedure, the doctor instead applied suprapubic pressure to aid the delivery. The infant was ten pounds 10 ounces at birth with a head circumference in the ninetieth percentile. The child suffered from Erb’s

palsy. As she grew her arm atrophied due to her incapacity to use it. She has developmental delays and she has cerebral palsy. The law firm that handled the case reported that the claim settled for $900,000.

The preceeding is not medical or legal advice. Consult a doctor immediately in case you believe there is a complication with your pregnancy or your baby has a health problem. Seek the advice of a medical negligence attorney in the event you think your baby was damaged from an error by a physician or other wellness care professional.