When the brachial plexus of an infant is damaged, a serious condition known as Erb’s palsy can present itself. Erb’s palsy will usually surface once there has been a complication during the birthing process of an infant like shoulder dystocia. Shoulder dystocia is a complication that can suddenly occur at birth but it is one that has risk factors associated with it that should be reviewed by the mother’s physician. If a baby’s shoulders get stuck underneath the mother’s pubic bone, the physician should know what to do to prevent the baby from suffering from Erb’s palsy. Not only do physicians have to effectively handle shoulder dystocia cases, but they have to try and prevent it before it even happens by seeking if the mother or infant have risk factors that might cause the infant to suffer from this complication.
Erb’s palsy can come to those infants who are having a difficult birth with complications and have a deliverying doctor who is not applying the proper techniques and skill to effectively remove the infant during the C-section or natural birth. The execution of the parents legal rights in pursing a litigation for medical malpractice can take place if their infant acquired Erb’s palsy because medical negligence was displayed. This process can be done with an Erb’s palsy Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyer who will gather everything possible and work with a medical expert to make the case more presentable to the judge or jury.
Damages Experienced by the Brachial Plexus
The brachial plexus can suffer from four types of damages of which each has a different degree of severity. These types include a rupture, a neuroma, a neuropraxia, and an avulsion (most severe). A rupture is curable, but an avulsion is a severe form of damage that is often unrepairable because the nerve completely separates from the spine, causing complete paralysis.
Menacing Features that Have Been Linked with the Presence of Shoulder Dystocia During Birth
Because a number of conditions and complications can come from shoulder dystocia like Erb’s palsy, it is important that a mother and their physician understand the risk factors linked with this complication. Some of those features include:
- Mother being obese or overweight
- Gestational period exceeding 40 weeks
- When mother has gained 35 or more pounds during the time she was pregnant
- Mother having gestational diabetes condition
- Macrosomia (8.14lbs or more baby)
- Baby being in breech position
Numbers and Facts Related to Erb’s Palsy
- Condition is named after doctor who undercover this medical condition: Willhelm Erb
- Out of every 1,000 babies, one or two will have Erb’s palsy
- Traumatic stretching of the infant’s plexus during their delivery occurs in 90% of Erb’s palsy cases
Was Erb’s Palsy Caused by Medical Negligence?
Living with Erb’s palsy is not only difficult, but it will bring a variety of damages for the infant and parents. Erb’s palsy is a disorder that will always require physical therapy and other forms of treatment, depending on the severity of it. Initiating a lawsuit through the Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyers at the Percy Martinez Law Firm.