Surgery for a Brachial Plexus Injury to Baby: Portland Birth Injury Lawyer in Oregon

Oregon cerebral palsy lawyers signs of an arm injury in a newborn surgery for a brachial plexus injury

Will My Baby Need Surgery for a Brachial Plexus Injury?  Portland Birth Injury Lawyer Explains

Welcoming a newborn into your family is a very exciting time.  But it can also be a very worrying time.  It can also be a very stressful time.  In fact, if can be a downright devastating time if your newborn suffers a serious birth injury in Oregon.  While there are many different types of birth injuries, a brachial plexus injury to a baby can be a particularly difficult one.  This is because a severe or catastrophic brachial plexus injury may result in permanent disability that cannot be repaired.  Other times it requires surgery to repair the damage done to your newborn, which places your newborn under extreme stress right as the baby’s brain is rapidly developing.  This can result in developmental delays.  But sometimes surgery for a brachial plexus injury to a baby is the only way to restore function to the arm.

Our Portland birth injury lawyer in Oregon knows this to be true.  Particularly because a birth injury such as a brachial plexus injury can result in debilitating personal injuries which last a lifetime.  Many of the most common causes of brachial plexus injuries are also entirely preventable with proper medical care and attention.  This includes proper evaluation, examination, and treatment.  Unfortunately, far too many infants suffer this type of birth injury.

What is a Brachial Plexus Injury?

A brachial plexus injury is a type of arm nerve injury.  The brachial plexus comes off of the spinal cord in the neck.  It is actually many different nerves from many different levels of vertebrae. Once the individuals nerves come off of the neck, they combine at the base of the neck and in the area behind your collarbone (where you shrug your shoulders up).  The nerves are one giant bundle, the brachial plexus, at this point.

The nerves then extend to the shoulder girdle and travel downwards into the arm and all the way to the fingers.  The nerves govern both sensation, movement, and other functions.  These are very important nerves that give the arm its ability to sense, move, and its strength.

How can the Brachial Plexus Get Injured?

The most common ways that the brachial plexus is injured in an infant is when the OB-GYN or primary care doctor handling the labor and delivery process grabs, pulls, yanks, or otherwise mishandles the baby in the birth canal.  By placing undue stress on the arm and neck, the doctor can pull the nerve out of its root or rip, tear, stretch, or impinge it.  This means that the nerve can be seriously damaged.

Surgery for a Brachial Plexus Injury in Portland, Oregon

Our birth injury lawyer knows that the last thing that a parent wants to do is put a newborn under the knife for surgery.  But there are some types of birth injuries which may require it.  Unfortunately, some types of serious brachial plexus injuries may require surgery.

There are two general types.  The first is an avulsion which is the most serious. This is when the nerve is actually pulled out of its root at the spinal cord.  This means that the rest of the nerve is intact but is not connected to the spinal cord or the brain, thus there are no sensations or motor movement communications occurred between the body and the brain.  This is very difficult to repair surgically, but without any attempt there is almost a guarantee that your child will never have sensation, function, or strength in that arm.

The second type of surgery is for a rupture.  This is when the nerve is completed severed, but not at the spinal cord.  It could happen in the neck or at the the shoulder girdle.  Surgery here is more likely to be successful and is more likely to repair the damage done, although that is also not guaranteed.  But it is necessary, because it is very unlikely that the nerve will repair itself thus surgery is usually the only option.

Does Your Newborn Need Surgery for a Brachial Plexus Injury?  You May Have Rights Under Oregon Law

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.

For a free case evaluation

Call

(541) 385-1999 in Bend, Oregon
(503) 479-3646 in Portland, Oregon
(612) 444-3374 in Minnesota

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