Birth Injuries
Nerve Injuries to a Baby from Medical Malpractice in Oregon
If you suspect nerve injuries to a baby were caused by medical malpractice, call our Bend birth injury lawyer for help.
If your loved one was diagnosed with any serious or permanent injuries due to excessive jaundice, contact our Oregon kernicterus lawyers. Although jaundice is a normal occurrence after the birth of a child, it usually goes away on its own within the first few hours or days of life. However, when jaundice continues or worsens, there needs to be intervention such as light therapy or other treatments. When healthcare providers fail to treat a baby’s jaundice, it could result in a condition known as kernicterus. Although this condition occurs in about one or two out of every 100,000 live births, damage from kernicterus is often devastating to a baby’s rapidly developing brain. If left untreated, kernicterus could also be fatal, and accounts for approximately 2.8 million infant deaths around the world each year. Unfortunately, it is also often caused by medical malpractice or a preventable birth injury.
Here at Kuhlman Law, our experienced Oregon kernicterus lawyers can help victims and their families recover compensation for their conscious pain and suffering, lost wages, medical bills, and other damages related to kernicterus. These damages are not just for a baby now, but also what affects a baby may face in the future due to injuries from kernicterus. Similarly, families who have lost wages or expended money on medical treatment for their loved one’s kernicterus may also be entitled to reimburse and compensation, as well as possible entitled to emotional distress (noneconomic damages), wrongful death damages, and other compensation. To learn more about your rights to compensation after your baby was seriously injured by kernicterus, call our Oregon kernicterus lawyers to schedule a free consultation.
What is Kernicterus?
Kernicterus is a very severe and uncontrolled form of jaundice. Jaundice is a condition characterized by the yellow shading of a person’s skin, eyes, and other parts of the body due to a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. Jaundice may be normal for a newborn for a few hours or days, but usually goes away on its own rather quickly after birth. This is because the baby’s organs, particularly the liver and kidney, went from having the mother handle most of the filtering to now having to begin to independently working on their own. Thus, there could be a little delay or slow start for them to start working. That is completely normal.
But if that jaundice continues for more than a few days, that could be a warning sign of Kernicterus and the baby needs to be monitored closely, tested, and quickly treated. This is because the yellow coloring that occurs is due to excessive bilirubin in the blood. While safe in small doses and for a short period of time, prolonged exposure to bilirubin or excessive amounts of bilirubin could result in serious damage to the baby because it becomes toxic, caustic, and poisonous to the baby—especially the baby’s weakened organs that are starting to function on its own.
This is when jaundice becomes Kernicterus. The toxic condition from the excessive bilirubin is known as hyperbilirubinemia which can cause severe damage to a baby’s organs, blood vessels, nerves, and most importantly to a baby’s brain. The damage to the developing brain can be particularly catastrophic and result in several complications, including cerebral palsy, voluntary movement disorders, and functioning deficits.
Kernicterus devastates developing brains. This severe condition, resulting from untreated severe jaundice in newborns, causes permanent neurological damage when bilirubin crosses the blood-brain barrier and deposits in brain tissue, leading to a cascade of devastating effects that can permanently alter a child’s life trajectory because of the caustic nature of this substance. Despite being practically considered a “never” event, there are still too many injuries and wrongful deaths caused by kernicterus in the United States and in Oregon, including right here in Bend, OR and Portland, OR.
There are several different types of common injuries that could be caused by kernicterus and medical malpractice. This includes some of the following:
Brain damage from kernicterus proves catastrophic and irreversible. The toxic levels of bilirubin specifically target and destroy neurons in crucial areas of the brain, including the basal ganglia, hippocampus, and cerebellum. These regions control essential functions like memory formation, emotional regulation, and balance coordination. The destruction of neural tissue creates permanent lesions visible on brain imaging, while the death of neurons triggers inflammatory responses that can further damage surrounding brain structures. Some infants experience seizures during the acute phase, which may develop into a chronic seizure disorder.
Multiple organ systems suffer severe damage from kernicterus. The excessive bilirubin levels attack the kidneys, potentially causing acute kidney injury or long-term renal dysfunction that requires ongoing medical management. Liver function becomes compromised as the organ struggles to process the overwhelming amount of bilirubin, sometimes leading to hepatic dysfunction. The heart muscle may also sustain damage, resulting in various cardiovascular complications that require careful monitoring throughout life. Additionally, the gastrointestinal system often shows signs of dysfunction, affecting nutrient absorption and potentially leading to growth and development issues.
Hearing loss ranks among the most profound impacts. The high levels of bilirubin specifically target the auditory nerve and brainstem nuclei, potentially causing partial or complete deafness that becomes apparent as the infant fails to respond to sounds or voices in their environment. Some infants might retain minimal hearing, while others experience total auditory impairment.
Movement disorders emerge as another critical consequence, including conditions such as cerebral palsy due to medical malpractice or birth injuries in Oregon. The condition severely affects regions of the brain controlling motor function, particularly the basal ganglia, resulting in several distinct patterns of muscle control problems. Infants who survive kernicterus often develop athetoid cerebral palsy, characterized by uncontrolled writhing movements and difficulties maintaining posture that significantly impact their ability to perform basic tasks like sitting, crawling, or eventually walking.
Vision problems manifest in multiple ways. Upward gaze impairment, known as vertical gaze palsy, frequently occurs when bilirubin damages the oculomotor nuclei in the brainstem. This damage can also cause strabismus, where the eyes do not align properly, and may lead to serious visual tracking difficulties that affect the child’s ability to follow moving objects or focus on faces and educational materials.
Dental problems create additional challenges. The condition affects tooth enamel development during crucial formative periods, potentially resulting in dental enamel hypoplasia, which leaves teeth more vulnerable to decay and sensitivity throughout life. These dental issues often require extensive intervention and ongoing care.
Cognitive impairment varies significantly among affected individuals. While some children might experience mild learning difficulties, others face severe intellectual disabilities that impact their ability to process information, communicate effectively, or perform age-appropriate tasks. The extent of cognitive damage directly correlates with the duration and severity of bilirubin exposure to brain tissue during the critical newborn period.
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or wrongfully killed due to untreated jaundice that turns out to be kernicterus, contact our Oregon kernicterus lawyers for a free consultation. There are many possible injuries that could be caused by this caustic condition, especially to the brain, eyes, ears, organs, and other parts of the body – especially the peripheral nervous system. To learn more, schedule your consultation with Kuhlman law today.
Failure to Diagnose Kernicterus
The failure to diagnose Kernicterus could be caused by several reckless, careless, and negligence causes, including grossly negligence causes which could easily be avoided. This is because, unlike many other health emergencies and conditions to a newborn baby, Kernicterus manifests itself with a bright, yellow appearance of the entire baby. Thus, there is no excuse when Kernicterus is not diagnosed when jaundice has been occurred for several days and increasing in severity.
Some of the most common reasons why Kernicterus is caused by Oregon medical malpractice include the following reasons:
Damages Caused by Kernicterus
Because Kernicterus is a condition that occurs after the baby is born, and usually manifests itself within a week or two of the baby’s birth, Kernicterus always as the potential to affect the developing brain. This is because a baby’s developing brain is rapidly growing upon birth and especially within the first few months of birth, although the baby’s brain is obviously rapidly growing for many years to come. But the first few months are critical in creating crucial neural connections, including motor skills, senses, and other all body functions.
Thus, when toxic bilirubin is allowed to caustically damage the developing brain, most of the motor functions and recognition skills of a baby are affected. The excessive bilirubin ends up causing lesions on the developing brain, particularly on the cerebellum and basil ganglia which govern motor movement, sensation, condition, and other all function. Damage here typically results in cerebral palsy, which is a disorder or group of disorders affecting movement and control of one’s body. This is the most common damage from Kernicterus, which also could damage eyesight, hearing, smell, and taste.
Bend/Portland, Oregon Kernicterus Lawyers
Kernicterus is one of the most catastrophic birth injuries that can easily be prevented with the proper medical care and treatment required of a healthcare provider treating a baby. This is because Kernicterus is a condition of a young baby which manifests itself with a litany of symptoms and warning signs, including severe and prolonged jaundice. As you may know, jaundice is the yellow coloring of the body which can be typical in newborns and goes away after a fews hours or a day. However, if that jaundice is allowed to remain unabated and causes prolonged injury, it could result in Kernicterus which may cause severe brain damage. Our Oregon Kernicterus lawyers explain what this dangerous condition is and why medical providers who fail to treat it could be committing Oregon medical malpractice.
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.
We handle cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.
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.
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