Portland Birth Injury Lawyers Explain the Common Causes and How do Birth Injuries Happen in Oregon
Welcoming a baby into this world is the most exciting time, but it is also the most stressful time. This is particularly true if there are complications which occur during the labor and delivery process. While this is not common in Oregon, mistakes, errors, and other reckless or negligent conduct can happen due to a healthcare provider’s negligence. Indeed, these mistakes could result in very serious personal injuries to a newborn which could result in a lifetime of catastrophic or disabling conditions. Many families ask our Portland birth injury lawyers how do birth injuries happen, including some of the most severe instances, when there are so many providers and technological advancements to help protect babies.
Unfortunately, the answer is usually due to the negligence of another healthcare provider such as a OB/GYN, familiar care doctor, primary care physician, nurse, CRNA, technician, or other individual responsible for the care and treatment of your loved one. Even the best technology and the most hands on a ward or floor cannot prevent egregious harm due to reckless, careless, or downright negligent conduct.
How Do Birth Injuries Happen in Oregon Hospitals and Offices
There are many common causes of how birth injuries happen. The most common causes are all due to the negligence of a healthcare provider. Even when they say that there was a natural and unavoidable consequence of birth, that does not mean that a competent healthcare provider could not have detected the possibility of a consequence and reacted to prevent its harm on the baby.
Generally, the problems are:
- Causing hypoxic conditions (decrease in oxygen) or anoxic conditions (complete lack of oxygen)
- Mishandling the baby, or
- Delaying some form of intervention
Some of the most common causes regarding how do birth injuries happen include the following:
- Delays in ordering a c-section
- Improperly monitoring the baby and the mother (including placing the monitoring equipment wrong)
- Misreading accelerations and decelerations (contractions)
- Nurses failing to timely get the doctor for help
- Overdose of Pitocin or misuse of Pitocin
- Mistakes in handling a baby including dropping a baby
- Delays in resuscitating a baby after birth
- Improperly inducing a mother because she is dilated
- Failing to recognize and react to an umbilical cord prolapse
- Failing to stop bleeding
- Ignoring the signs of fetal distress
- Difficulty leading the baby through the birth canal, and
- Many other common mistakes.
Potential Harms from Medical Errors
There are many potential harms that could be caused by medical errors to a baby. This includes hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) which could result in catastrophic personal injury or damages to a baby’s rapidly developing brain. Damage due to a lack of oxygen could result in catastrophic brain injuries. These catastrophic brain injuries could result in conditions such as cerebral palsy, a common childhood mobility condition. Victims could also suffer injuries such as developmental delays, develop seizure disorders, and have other potential harms.
Call our Portland Birth Injury Lawyers Whenever Your Child Was Diagnosed with a Serious Medical Condition
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.
Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.
