Long Island, Manhattan Accident Attorney Blog

Did Your Infant Suffer Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy?

Certain medical mistakes are unacceptable, especially if they result in serious harm to infants.  Birth injuries unfortunately happen in even the best of hospitals and by the most respected doctors.  When an infant suffers from a birth injury, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, it is sometimes difficult to understand what caused it.  If you are not experienced in the medical industry, it can be difficult to identify when a medical error caused birth injury.  That is why you should contact an experienced New York birth injury attorney if your newborn has suffered hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a type of injury where the brain does not receive enough oxygen, but is not completely deprived.  This oxygen deprivation can lead to permanent brain damage and even death.  Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy has been linked to developmental delay, mental retardation and cerebral palsy.

Doctors and hospitals can be responsible in some hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy cases.  For example, if a doctor delayed a C-section or did not respond in an appropriate amount of time to a serious complication, he or she could be considered negligent.  Sometimes the fetal heartbeat is misread or misinterpreted, which is also a preventable medical mistake that can cause hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Contact Rappaport, Glass, Greene & Levine at (800) 734-9445 if your baby suffered a birth injury in New York.  We will be able to review your case to determine if there was a preventable medical mistake that led to your child’s injuries.

The article, “Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Caused By Hospital or Doctor Error,” has more information on this topic.