There are medical conditions that can manifest itself during a mother’s pregnancy, at the time of birth, and even in early childhood. A well-known disability that occurs in these infants is known as “cerebral palsy”. A variety of different reasons could be the cause for this condition that affects the child’s brain. During the presence of cerebral palsy, there is a disturbance with the transmitters and receptors of the child’s brain. While cerebral palsy can surface by various different injuries to the brain, like enduring a vehicle crash or falling down a flight of stairs, cerebral palsy has been linked with the presence of a medical negligence.
Throughout the United States, infants and children are acquiring this disability on a daily basis. Health care practitioners are making mistakes during their job duties and their patients are having to suffer the severe repercussions, including infants who have not even commenced their lives. Cerebral palsy is a severe condition that can range in severity. When a high quality of care is not provided to the expectant mother and her infant, this traumatizing medical condition can surface. Sadly, it is a condition that will most likely require a life of treatment and care, costing thousands and thousands of dollars. Here are some problems that are associated with this disability:
- Seizures
- Movements of the body that are not done voluntarily
- Impairment of their motor skills
- Lack of intellectuality
- Visions, Auditory, and speech weakened
- Spasms in the muscles and or, tightness;
- More
When medical negligence has resulted in this medical condition, then the victim’s family can seek advice and professional help of an Orlando cerebral palsy medical malpractice lawyer who will utilize all of their knowledge and expertise to gather as much information that will help the case of their client and find causation against the prospective defendant/s. There is no other choice but to file a lawsuit if negligence was the direct result of this disability because the strain that this condition poses on the victim and their families is detrimental for every aspect of their lives.
Cerebral Palsy: Four Categorizations
Cerebral palsy is the general name for the condition but within that condition, there are four different forms of it. Those types include:
- Cerebral palsy spastic: This form makes the muscles be in a state of involuntary reflex all the time. The muscle tone of the body is in excess, making movements sometimes impossible to even do. Spastic can affect either the whole body (quadriplegia) or one side of the body (Hemiplegia).
- Cerebral palsy ataxic: This is one of the less frequent forms of cerebral palsy that happens. In fact, only 5 to 10% of cases involving cerebral palsy will have this form. During this form, a child’s speech may be affected and the back lacks coordination.
- Cerebral palsy athetoid: This type is associated with movements that cannot be controlled and are rather slow. They cannot choose when they want to move a muscle, it moves on its own. Various body parts can be affected including hands, tongue, legs, and more.
- Cerebral palsy mixed: This form is considered to be the most common of them all. The infant often has a presence of more than one of these forms. The most common combinations being the athetoid and spasticity movements.
Any form of cerebral palsy can affect the family and the victim in a number of ways. Not only will they have to live with the physical effects that this condition will pose, but the emotional trauma and even the monetary strain that this will bring them. Speaking with a legal practitioner in Orlando that focuses on medical negligence resulting in cerebral palsy is the first step in trying to heal those open wounds.
How Does Medical Negligence Cause Cerebral Palsy?
Medical negligence happens when a patient sustains an injury due to a health care provider not meeting the standard of care that has been recognized in the medical world. Any of the following medical negligence’s can be means for a victim of cerebral palsy to file a lawsuit for medical malpractice:
- Failing to or delaying to perform a needed C-Section: Sometimes C-sections are already planned, while other times, they are performed as an emergency. There may be only minutes to decide whether to perform a C-section or not when the infant’s brain is being depleted of oxygen. If the delivering team does not act fast, they can limit the oxygen supply to the brain or even completely stop it for not performing the C-section in time.
- Fetal distress not properly being responded to: Medical emergencies can develop during a woman’s pregnancy and even during the delivery process like the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby’s neck. When this happens, a sign of fetal distress will surface. If the health care professionals fail to notice these signs and do not respond to it accordingly, cerebral palsy can result.
- Lack of monitoring the infant: The delivery process requires a lot of monitoring during all phases of this procedure, including before, during, and after the fact. Damages like cerebral palsy can present itself when a lack of monitoring of the infant is provided by the medical professionals. The oxygen levels and heart rate of the infant must be properly monitored because any indications of abnormality can indicate that the brain is not receiving enough oxygen. Not only must they monitor these changes, they must also react immediately when a change has been noted.
- Effects of improper medication: Ideally, a healthy mother should not be taking any form of medication during her pregnancy aside from her prenatal vitamins. But there are times when a mother will have a medical condition or develop one during her pregnancy. When this happens, an expectant mother might be required to take medication to control the condition, but if the medication has any problems associated with it, the fetus can suffer the consequences and cerebral palsy can develop. It is important to research information about the medication before taking it.
The presence of symptoms related to cerebral palsy may not be immediately visible. In fact, an infant may not even have a sign of cerebral palsy before they are even 18 months old. For this reason, once there has been a sign of the condition, it is important to immediately contact attorneys of medical negligence in Orlando.
How the Firm’s Lawyers Help Cerebral Palsy Victims in Orlando
It may be quite difficult to establish a connection between the medical negligence and presence of cerebral palsy because often times, the specific causes of this condition tend to not be understood. The exact root of this disability is unknown, although common knowledge tells us that the brain’s development has been disrupted. For this reason, the firm of Percy Martinez will work alongside medical experts in Orlando to be able to link the occurrence of cerebral palsy to the medical malpractice that was performed by the medical professional.
Statistics and Data Compiled with Respect to Cerebral Palsy
This disability occurs on a regular basis in infants and children. Here are some statistics to prove that statement:
- Cerebral palsy affects about 764,000 children and adults presently
- 500,000 of those individuals of the 764,000 are under the age of 18
- Cerebral palsy will affect between two to three children out of 1,000 live births
- Between 1,200 and 1,500 toddlers will be deemed to have cerebral palsy, most often ranging from the ages of 2-5 every year
- This disability will affect between 8,000 to 10,000 babies and infants annually
FAQS About Cerebral Palsy
Question: How did cerebral palsy develop in my baby?
Answer: Because cerebral palsy’s direct cause has never been determined, it is often difficult to understand the root cause as to why the baby developed it. For the most part, an infant is either born with it or acquires it out of a medical negligence.
Question: Is Cerebral palsy deadly?
Answer: No. One cannot die from this medical condition. Although severe complications that arise from the disability may kill the victim. For example, if a child is unable to feed themselves due to their condition, then they may become malnourished if they do not have someone doing it for them.
Question: Who can be found liable if my child developed cerebral palsy?
Answer: More than one party can be found guilty for the infant acquiring cerebral palsy. F medical negligence has been determined by the parties, then anyone who was involved with the infant or mother’s care during the delivery and prenatal phase can be guilty of malpractice, including her OBGYN, the anesthesiologist present in the delivery room, the prescriber of her medication, nurses caring for her, and more.
Orlando Cerebral Palsy Victims of Medical Malpractice
If a person who has an infant that acquired a medical disability is unsure whether it was caused by a medical negligence or not, it is important that they reach out to the Orlando medical malpractice lawyers Percy Martinez Law Firm lawyers will investigate every detail of the case and examine all evidence to establish liability and causation. The effects that cerebral palsy will have in the everyday lives of those involved will deserve to be compensated for.