Cerebral Palsy Attorneys in Saginaw, Michigan
In this section, our Saginaw cerebral palsy lawyers will briefly discuss some crucial information about cerebral palsy—its signs, symptoms and causes, and the legal options available to those patients who developed cerebral palsy from medical malpractice. If you have any questions or case inquiries, we encourage you to reach out to our Saginaw cerebral palsy lawyers for help. Our legal and medical team will provide you with a free legal consultation and, should we take your case, you will not be charged until our Saginaw cerebral palsy lawyers win or settle in your favor. Don’t hesitate to contact our birth injury law firm in any of the following ways:
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What is Cerebral Palsy?
Saginaw Cerebral Palsy Lawyers Explain CP and Birth Injury
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder that is caused by an injury or deformation to the growing brain of a child, infant, or neonate. “Cerebral” explains the region of the brain affected by the injury (the cerebrum), and “palsy” refers to the grouping of movement and motor control disturbances caused by the brain damage. Typical CP patients experience disturbances to balance, control, muscle tone, reflexes, posture, coordination, and movement, but many also experience seizures and epilepsy, cognitive problems and learning disabilities, issues with the senses, and related complications.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy?
The initial brain injury that causes cerebral palsy determines the severity of the condition’s signs, symptoms, and side effects. It will also generally determine when a patient is diagnosed with CP—while some patients obtain their cerebral palsy diagnosis just after birth, others aren’t diagnosed until they are older. In this section, we’ll list a few of the signs and symptoms associated with cerebral palsy. Any person that interacts with a young child should be on the lookout for the following signs:
- Missing developmental milestones is a common indicator of cerebral palsy. For instance, failure to walk, crawl, speak, respond to stimuli, control the bladder and bowels, develop motor function, and feed by the average age may denote the presence of a brain injury-related disability.
- Medical signs such as the failure to breathe after birth, hypotonia (lack of muscle tone), seizures, and bone deformations can indicate the presence of cerebral palsy.
- Coordination and control disturbances, such as spasticity, spasms, imbalance, gait abnormalities, tremors, involuntary movements, and the inability to grasp objects are movement abnormalities found in many individuals with CP.
- Other symptoms and signs may include fatigue, issues with the senses (vision and hearing in particular), irritability, delayed reactions of posture, and the retention of infant reflexes.
What Medical Errors Can Cause Cerebral Palsy?
Our Saginaw Cerebral Palsy Lawyers Discuss Birth Injury from Medical Malpractice
- Birth asphyxia, also known as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), is an emergency delivery complication that occurs when a baby’s developing brain receives insufficient levels of oxygen. Because birth asphyxia can lead to several life-threatening and disabling injuries, physicians and other healthcare professionals must detect, prevent, and quickly cure any complications that may lead to HIE. Some of the typical pregnancy and delivery complications that can cause hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy include umbilical cord problems (prolapse, nuchal cords, and cord compression) maternal hemorrhaging from placental abruption and uterine rupture, prolonged and challenging delivery, and many more.
Multiple births: Pregnancies that yield more than one birth per delivery (twins, triplets, etc.) face greater chances of the complications that, when mismanaged, may lead to cerebral palsy. Some dangerous complications associated with multiple gestation deliveries include twin-to-twin transfusion, premature delivery and low birth weight, premature rupture of the membranes (PROM), size incompatibilities such as macrosomia and cephalopelvic disproportion, malpresentation (breech or face, for instance), nuchal cords, umbilical cord prolapse and compression, and more.- Early or late deliveries often are accompanied by complications that may cause cerebral palsy. Medical professionals must closely monitor and care for early and late deliveries, prepare for emergency C-section, and use discretion regarding induction or labor prevention.
- Preterm delivery: Nearly half of the individuals diagnosed with cerebral palsy were born prematurely. Additionally, premature babies are said to have a 30% higher chance of developing cerebral palsy than full term babies. Their underdeveloped systems and organs cannot withstand the insults of delivery or the infections and environments outside the womb.
- Post term deliveries are often accompanied by dangerous circumstances including macrosomia, birth trauma, the incorrect use of labor assistance tools (forceps and vacuum extractors), intracranial hemorrhages, postmaturity syndrome, uteroplacental insufficiency, oligohydramnios, cord compression, and more.
- The failure to order and perform emergency C-sections, the failure to properly read fetal distress signals, and the failure to properly administer medications are all instances of medical malpractice when they lead to injury, brain damage, cerebral palsy, lifelong developmental disabilities, and related damages.
- Brain bleeds (intracranial hemorrhages) are birth trauma injuries that are characterized by bleeding within the brain or skull. Medical professionals are required to carefully prevent intracranial hemorrhages by ordering and perform C-sections in prolonged or challenging pregnancies, properly and carefully use delivery assistance tools (vacuum extractors and forceps), and properly administer Pitocin and Cytotec only in the necessary situations.
- Maternal infections such as herpes, toxoplasmosis, rubella, Group B Strep (GBS), urinary tract infections, bacterial vaginosis, chorioamnionitis, villitis, and others easily transfer to neonates during pregnancy and delivery and compromise safety. Medical professionals must accurately and quickly diagnose and treat such infections to protect the baby’s health and brain function.
- Jaundice and kernicterus: The failure on part of a medical professional to diagnose and treat jaundice often leads to a dangerous infant condition known as kernicterus. Kernicterus is characterized by the excessive buildup of bilirubin in the brain tissues and the condition often results in brain damage, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and related conditions. While jaundice is a common and harmless infant condition when treated, kernicterus is very hazardous and is almost always the result of medical malpractice.
Visit this page to read more about the various causes and risk factors associated with cerebral palsy. If you recognize any of these instances in your own situation, don’t hesitate to contact our experienced Saginaw cerebral palsy lawyers here or toll-free at (888) 592-1857.
Financial Compensation for Cerebral Palsy Victims in Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw Cerebral Palsy Lawyers & Professionals
Individuals with cerebral palsy are forced to confront limitations physically, socially, mentally, and emotionally every day. At Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys, our team of Saginaw cerebral palsy lawyers is dedicated to ensuring that the victims of medical malpractice whose birth injuries were avoidable are able to afford the rehabilitation and lifestyle treatments they need. If you suspect medical malpractice is at the root of your loved one’s birth injury or cerebral palsy, please call our Saginaw cerebral palsy lawyers and professionals without hesitation. We will review your case for free and inform you of your legal options. Our birth injury lawyers are here to talk 24/7—contact Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys online here or call our offices toll-free at (888) 592-1857.
In the meantime, we encourage readers to reference our Saginaw and Bay City Cerebral Palsy Resources page to learn more about the medical and lifestyle resources available to individuals with cerebral palsy in the Saginaw area. Our Saginaw cerebral palsy lawyers have gathered the medical and lifestyle resources that will be most helpful to you and your loved one.