Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Birth Injuries

When an infant or toddler is diagnosed with mental and motor delays in development, or cerebral palsy, there is reason to question whether that condition was caused in the birthing process or immediately after delivery. The overriding issue is whether the injury could and should have been prevented by the professional caregivers who include the obstetrician, nurses and pediatricians or neonatologists.

Many difficult kinds of insults to the brain of a fetus or neonate can occur. One such preventable insult is perinatal asphyxia, which is the decreased or lack of sufficient oxygen delivered to a fetus while in the uterus during labor.  This event can result in prolonged oxygen deprivation to the brain which permanently injures the brain tissues, called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and its manifestation into cerebral palsy or developmental problems which may impair a child’s learning, development, and motor and mental functions in profound, moderate or mild degrees.

Our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania birth injury law firm has a great deal of experience in evaluating this type of situation by using the best available experts. We are interested in determining when an asphyxic insult occurred and how it occurred.  One of the many indicators of fetal well being or fetal distress is the quality of the fetal heart rate as monitored by the obstetric team. It is well established that a fetal heart rate that is normal with good variability is a 95% to 98% reliable indicator that the baby is healthy.  During labor, changes in the fetal heart rate can indicate oxygen deprivation or the inability of the fetus to withstand the effect of the labor contractions, which may require a Cesarean section to have immediate delivery. If the obstetrical team does not appreciate the various possible signs of fetal distress, they may have not followed acceptable practices in order to prevent serious brain injury or death of the baby.

If you, a family member, or a friend have a child with brain damage or who has died, and you suspect that the birthing process was the time period when injury may have occurred, then contact the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania birth injury lawyers of John A. Caputo & Associates or call our office at (866)826-4949.