How Cerebral Palsy Could be Caused by Oregon Medical Malpractice: Bend/Portland Lawyers

Our Bend/Portland, Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers Explain How Cerebral Palsy is Caused

 

Cerebral palsy is a devastating diagnosis for any parent to hear for their children.  This condition is a disorder or group of disorders affecting the brain.  The area of damage is focused in an area of motor control which includes overall movement, fine motor skill, and other voluntary and involuntary muscle movements.  The severity of the cerebral palsy can range from mild to severe.  While cerebral palsy can be caused by genetics, unfortunately many instances of cerebral palsy are caused by preventable, medical errors.  Our Bend Oregon birth injury lawyers and Portland Oregon medical malpractice lawyers explain how cerebral palsy could be caused by preventable medical errors.

 

What is Cerebral Palsy?

 

Cerebral palsy, or CP, is a type of catastrophic birth injury that affects a person’s muscles and motor skills.  Muscles are affected due to muscle tone (which could be too strong or too flaccid), movement (involuntary movement or lack of fine motor skill), and other functions of muscle movement and dexterity.  Cerebral palsy can also affects other bodily functions such as speech, breathing, bowel control, eating, bladder, and other similar functions.

 

Cerebral palsy is usually caused by brain damage that occurs during a baby’s labor and delivery process.  Sometimes CP can be caused prior to the labor process commencing, other times CP could be caused within the first few weeks, months, or even years of a child’s life.  Cerebral palsy commonly does occur during the birthing process, which is an incredibly traumatic experience even if everything goes as planned.

 

How Could Cerebral Palsy be Caused by Oregon Medical Malpractice and Oregon Birth Injuries?

 

There are three common ways that cerebral palsy could be caused by Oregon medical malpractice.  This is due to hypoxic injuries (lack of oxygen), head trauma, and caustic injuries.  All of these types of injuries can be caused by reckless, careless, and downright negligent conduct by a healthcare provider.  In fact, most of these injuries ARE caused by medical malpractice or negligent care and treatment.  Our Bend/Portland, Oregon lawyers explain how these three types of injuries cause cerebral palsy:

 

1. Hypoxic Injuries – Hypoxic injuries are caused by a lack of oxygen to the baby.  Since the brain is developing, hypoxic injuries are devastating because they cause injuries such as lesions to the developing brain.  Hypoxic injuries could be caused by umbilical cord ruptures, prolapses, twisted umbilical cord, excessive contractions, HIE, and other fetal or material stress factors.
2. Head Trauma – Head trauma to a newborn is particularly devastating because the head and skull are still very, very soft.  This means trauma such as improper use of forceps, excessive use of vacuum extractor tools, improper manipulation with hands, and dropping a baby could all result in serious personal injuries such as CP.
3. Caustic Injuries – Caustic injuries are caused when there is a poison in the mother’s blood or in the baby’s blood which caused serious injury due to its toxicity.  This is commonly when a mother is administered too much of a medication or the wrong medication that is not save for a baby.  In fact, too much Pitocin could also have some toxicity for a baby.  Other forms of toxicity could occur AFTER the baby is born and be the bilirubin amount in the baby’s blood.  This is the substance that caused jaundice.  While some jaundice is normal, excessive jaundice could be Kernicterus which is a dangerous condition that damages the brain from the excessive bilirubin.

Cerebral Palsy Could be Caused by Oregon Medical Malpractice, and Should Always be Evaluated by Our Bend/Portland, Oregon Birth Injury Lawyers

 

CP is a very devastating and catastrophic birth injury which will result in a lifetime of complications for an innocent person and his or her family.  While it could be caused naturally, it could also be caused by reckless, careless, and downright negligent conduct by healthcare providers.  If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.

 

Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.

 

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.

 

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.