Cerebral Palsy Attorneys in Warren, Michigan
Cerebral palsy (CP), a neurological condition caused by injuries to a developing brain, refers to a broad grouping of movement impairments. People with cerebral palsy display a number of different symptoms that typically include difficulty with coordination, balance, movement, posture, range of motion, and movement control. Other associated conditions include blindness, hearing impairments, epilepsy, learning disabilities and cognitive limitations, communication and feeding difficulties, and more.
Damage to a child’s brain any time during development causes cerebral palsy, but the condition is most commonly associated with injury around the time of birth. Whether a child’s cerebral palsy resulted early on in a pregnancy or from an insult during delivery, medical professionals are expected to identify and eliminate any complications that may lead to birth injury. When medical professionals fail to eliminate a complication and it leads to permanent damage to the infant or the mother, it is considered medical malpractice.
If your child has suffered a birth injury and now requires specific medical, educational, or lifestyle attention, we encourage you to reach out to the experienced Warren cerebral palsy lawyers from our legal team. Contact Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys in any of the following ways and our Warren cerebral palsy lawyers will provide you with a free case review. Our Warren cerebral palsy lawyers are available to speak with you 24/7.
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Causes of Birth-Related Brain Injuries
Warren Cerebral Palsy Lawyers & Advocates
While Warren, Michigan is home to a number of acclaimed health care facilities and medical professionals, medical errors inevitably take place. Our Warren cerebral palsy lawyers have experience handling cases from Warren hospitals and health care centers including Beaumont, St. John, and Henry Ford.
In this section, we’ll guide you through some of the potential causes of cerebral palsy and explain how medical malpractice, negligence, and error may contribute to a baby’s brain damage. Our Warren cerebral palsy lawyers encourage you to extend your research to other pages on our website including cerebral palsy treatment and therapy, cerebral palsy causes, diagnosis, and cerebral palsy resources.
The following conditions are some of the most common causes of cerebral palsy:
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE): Also known as birth asphyxia, HIE is a form of brain injury that occurs when an infant receives inadequate oxygen to the brain during or around the time of delivery. HIE commonly results in lifelong brain damage, cerebral palsy, and developmental delays, and is often caused by the mismanagement of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Medical professionals are expected to identify and correct the many complications that can cause hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy—failure to do so is considered medical malpractice. Below we’ll briefly list and explain some of the many conditions known to cause oxygen deprivation and resultant cerebral palsy:
- Birth trauma: Traumatic events during labor and delivery can cause intracranial hemorrhaging (bleeding within the brain) and resultant brain damage—the following are two specific causes of brain bleeds:
- Delivery assistance tools: The incorrect use of forceps and vacuum extractors may inflict injury to a baby’s head and cause infant brain damage and brain bleeds.
- Abnormalities in the baby’s size and positioning cause complications that result in prolonged, strained, and traumatic deliveries. Common size and position abnormalities include the breech position (the baby enters the birth canal feet- or hear-first) and cephalopelvic disproportion (the baby’s head is too large to easily pass through the mother’s pelvis).
Prematurity: Preterm birth is one of the most common known causes of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral palsy, and infant brain damage. Preterm infants have immature organs and are unable to handle the typical insults of a difficult delivery.- Postmaturity: Babies are at heightened risk for HIE when pregnancies last longer than 37 gestational weeks. After roughly 37 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta begins to weaken, supplying less blood and oxygen to the baby and increasing risk for HIE. Furthermore, longer pregnancies lead to larger babies (macrosomic babies), which are more difficult to pass through the birth canal without oxygen deprivation. Other oxygen-depriving complications that may arise in a post-term pregnancy include cord compression and meconium aspiration.
- Umbilical cord prolapse occurs when the umbilical cord enters the birth canal before the baby does. When this happens, oxygenated blood passes less freely to the baby and HIE takes place. Other umbilical cord complications that may lead to HIE include nuchal cords (when the umbilical cord wraps around the baby’s neck) and cord compression (when the cord closes from excessive uterine contractions).
- Placental Problems: Placental abruption, a labor and delivery emergency, takes place when the placenta separates from the uterus before labor begins. Abruption of the placenta limits oxygen to the fetus and often results in neonatal brain damage and cerebral palsy. Furthermore, placental previa is another placental abnormality in which the placenta blocks the cervix and impedes vaginal delivery. If left untreated, hemorrhaging and HIE may occur.
- Uterine rupture: This labor and delivery complication occurs when the forces of pregnancy lead to uterus to tear open, expelling the baby into the mother’s abdomen and resulting in oxygen deprivation and brain damage.
- Maternal health problems: A number of maternal infections (such as Group B Strep, Bacterial Vaginosis, and more) and health problems (such as high blood pressure or gestational diabetes) compromise the baby’s health. Infections damage the baby’s brain cells and result in lifelong disorders and disabilities, and health issues alter blood flow to the baby.
Any condition or complication that causes fetal distress during or before labor and delivery indicates the risk of brain damage and cerebral palsy. It is the standard of care for medical professionals to detect abnormal heart tracings and swiftly perform emergency C-sections.
Legal Help for Cerebral Palsy in Michigan
Warren Cerebral Palsy Lawyers and Attorneys
Our passionate and experienced Warren cerebral palsy lawyers recognize the emotional and financial burdens of a cerebral palsy diagnosis. At Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys, we create strong relationships with our clients during litigation processes—in our experience, communication and trust are vital to the process of establishing treatment plans and managing medical expenses.
We urge you to reach out for your loved one today by calling the birth injury lawyers at at Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys. Our Warren cerebral palsy lawyers will determine the cause of your loved one’s birth injury, find the negligent party, and work to resolve your financial and medical hardships. Call us for a free evaluation of your case at (888) 592-1857 today or fill out this online contact form. In the interim, we encourage you to peruse the information on this website and reference our list of Warren, Michigan cerebral palsy resources.