Birth asphyxia and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) are potentially-serious complications of childbirth that can expose newborns to the risk of developing brain disorders and other serious injuries. If your child has been diagnosed with birth asphyxia or HIE, you should speak with a skilled birth injury attorney about your rights. Schedule a consultation with a Connecticut birth asphyxia & hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) lawyer today.
Birth asphyxia is a medical condition that results from a baby not having enough oxygen in his or her blood. Oxygen is essential not only for newborns to breathe but also for their brains to develop properly. As a result, when a newborn is deprived of oxygen during childbirth, this can potentially have a number of serious, and potentially permanent, ramifications.
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a brain disorder that results from the brain receiving an inadequate supply of oxygen during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. “Hypoxic” refers to the deprivation of oxygen, “ischemic” refers to a restricted blood supply caused by this shortage of oxygen, and “encephalopathy” refers to a disease or disorder in the brain.
Birth asphyxia can cause HIE. If a fetus or newborn is deprived of oxygen (asphyxia), this can lead to a brain disorder resulting from an inadequate oxygen supply in the blood (HIE).
Newborns who are diagnosed with HIE as a result of birth asphyxia may be at risk for several types of medical complications. For example, the following are all potentially-serious health conditions that are linked to HIE:
There are a number of reasons why the supply of oxygen to a fetus in the mother’s womb may be restricted. This includes various maternal and fetal health issues, pregnancy and developmental complications, and issues during labor and delivery. For example, potential causes of birth asphyxia and HIE include (but are not limited to):
Yes. In fact, just as there are many potential causes of birth asphyxia and HIE, there are many types of medical mistakes that can potentially lead to a baby receiving an inadequate supply of oxygen. As an expecting parent, you should not have to worry about these kinds of issues. But, unfortunately, statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that birth asphyxia, HIE, and related birth complications resulting from medical negligence are all too common. This includes medical mistakes such as:
If your child’s birth asphyxia or HIE resulted from a medical mistake, you may be entitled to financial compensation for medical malpractice. Anesthesia errors, delayed childbirth and C-section deliveries, prolonged labor and delivery, failure to monitor, and other issues resulting in birth asphyxia and HIE will rise to the level of malpractice in many cases.
To find out if your family is entitled to financial compensation, you will need to speak with a Connecticut birth asphyxia lawyer. You can schedule an appointment with a lawyer at Berkowitz Hanna 24/7. During your free initial consultation, one of our experienced lawyers will:
In medical malpractice cases, parents can recover compensation for their children’s immediate and long-term medical needs as well as the other financial and non-financial costs of their children’s diagnosis. These costs can be substantial, and filing a successful claim can be essential to families’ overall well-being and financial stability.
At Berkowitz Hanna, our Connecticut birth asphyxia lawyers represent parents in medical malpractice claims related to the diagnoses of birth asphyxia and HIE. We help families throughout Connecticut. And with decades of experience, we have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for birth injury claims. If your child has been diagnosed with birth asphyxia or HIE, you deserve to know why, and you deserve to be fully and fairly compensated if your child’s condition is the result of medical negligence.
With us, your case starts with a free initial consultation. A Connecticut birth asphyxia & hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) lawyer will sit down with you one-on-one, listen to you, and explain everything you need to know. If we believe you have a claim, we will work diligently to recover just compensation on your behalf and you will not have to pay anything unless we recover just compensation for your child’s injury.
Berkowitz Hanna
