Cerebral palsy is a condition that refers to several neurological disorders, which occur as a result of damage to the brain. Cerebral palsy can cause issues with muscle coordination, movement, and posture. Young children who experience traumatic injuries can develop cerebral palsy and fetuses can develop cerebral palsy in the womb or shortly after birth.
As many as 10,000 children are diagnosed with varying degrees of cerebral palsy every year, but as it turns out many thousands of cases are a direct result of preventable medical malpractice.
How Can an Infant Get Cerebral Palsy from Medical Malpractice?
Cerebral palsy is a devastating and difficult disease for parents and children to deal with. It’s even more devastating than this terrible disease could potentially be prevented with the proper care and treatment from a doctor.
One such way that medical malpractice can cause an infant to contract cerebral palsy is by failing to diagnose a maternal infection. Maternal infections can affect a developing fetus and should be diagnosed and treated immediately. If quick action is taken, this can minimize damage to a baby’s brain tissue and other organs. These infections can be bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic and they can be responsible for a lot of problems that are preventable if the doctor is providing proper care of the mother and her baby. If your health care provider failed to test for a variety of common illnesses, your infection didn’t receive prompt attention, or your medical personnel didn’t sufficiently test or treat your baby after birth, then medical malpractice may be responsible for your child’s condition.
Another way medical malpractice can cause an infant to get cerebral palsy is through errors involving medications. Throughout your pregnancy, your doctor may prescribe medications. Any error in prescribing can have consequences, including your infant receiving a cerebral palsy diagnosis.
Doctors are also required to meet the standard of care, which means that they must follow hospital protocols and the protocols of medical organizations. Failure to meet these may be medical malpractice. For example, if your doctor didn’t assist a mother when she was experiencing challenging or prolonged labor that compromised the health of the baby, then the doctor could potentially be liable. Your doctor could also be sued for medical malpractice if they made an error that potentially caused cerebral palsy, such as a uterine complication or umbilical cord problems.
Cerebral palsy is a life-changing, devastating diagnosis. If you suspect that your doctor or the hospital in Georgia where you delivered may be responsible for your child’s condition, you may have a potential medical malpractice lawsuit. Call the Fry Law team at (404) 948-3571 for more information about your legal rights.