Cerebral Palsy Attorneys in Rochester Hills, Michigan
As the parent of a child with cerebral palsy, considering medical malpractice as the cause of your child’s disability should be a fundamental step in the process of creating a lifetime care plan. At Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys, our Rochester Hills cerebral palsy lawyers are committed to creating close relationships with both clients and their families to ensure that legal proceedings are comprehensive and personalized and that they meet each client’s specific needs. In this section, we’ll briefly discuss some cerebral palsy facts, treatments, causes, and diagnoses, as well as the legal options available to the victims of medical malpractice. We encourage you to read through the other resources we have available at Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys and reach out to one of our experienced Rochester Hills cerebral palsy lawyers today—you can call us toll-free at (888) 592-1857 or fill out our online contact form.
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological condition that primarily disrupts movement, muscle tone, and coordination. Most cases of cerebral palsy begin around the time of birth—generally before labor, during delivery, or just after delivery—when the brain is still developing. Research indicates that roughly 8,000 to 10,000 new cerebral diagnoses are made each year, making cerebral palsy the most widespread disability among children.
Causes of Cerebral Palsy
Rochester Hills Cerebral Palsy Lawyers Helping Victims of Malpractice
At Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys, our Rochester Hills cerebral palsy lawyers have dealt with medical malpractice cases from hospitals in and around Rochester Hills. In this section, we’ll discuss some common scenarios that reflect medical malpractice and how the mismanagement of certain pregnancy and delivery complications can lead to birth injury.
Some examples of medical malpractice include:
- The failure of a medical professional to properly manage a maternal or fetal health complication at any point during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Proper management covers diagnosis, prevention, control and treatment.
- Failure to swiftly order and perform an emergency Cesarean section operation in dangerous, risky, complicated, or strained deliveries.
- Failure to properly monitor, detect, and act upon fetal distress signals.
- Failure to properly use delivery assistance tools (such as forceps and vacuum extractors), medications, labor-induction drugs (like Pitocin or Cytotec), and related delivery aids.
Below, we’ve listed some of the most common complications of pregnancy that, when mismanaged, may lead to cerebral palsy, brain damage, and birth injury.
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE): HIE, or birth asphyxia, is a type of brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation around the time of birth. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is one of the leading causes of cerebral palsy in children and is a common consequence of a large number of pregnancy and delivery complications. Risk factors for HIE include nuchal cords, delayed emergency C-section, post term pregnancy, preeclampsia, and many others.- Intracranial hemorrhages, also known as brain bleeds, are serious birth complications characterized by bleeding within the brain or skull of a baby. Intracranial hemorrhages are often the result of traumatic birthing experiences from cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD), macrosomia, abnormal presentation, strong contractions and hyperstimulation (from the misuse of the labor induction drugs Pitocin and Cytotec), improper use of delivery assistance tools (forceps and vacuum extractors), and delays in ordering emergency C-sections.
- Umbilical cord complications, such as nuchal cords, prolapsed umbilical cords, and umbilical cord compression, occur in a number of pregnancies. Because any interruption with the umbilical cord compromises the flow of oxygen to the baby, medical professionals are required to closely monitor, prevent, and treat the risk factors for cord problems.
- Placental dysfunction, such as placental abruption (when the placenta separates from the uterus), placenta previa (when the placenta covers the cervix), and placental insufficiency often result in cerebral palsy when mismanaged. Since the placenta is responsible for providing nutrients for the baby, disruption to its productivity directly harms the development of the baby.
- Fetal monitoring issues: When medical professionals fail to monitor or accurately monitor fetal distress signals (such as heart tracings and oxygen intake), they fail to act on complications that compromise the health of the baby.
- Delays in ordering and performing emergency Cesarean section operations commonly result in the dangerous delivery environments that cause hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy with resultant cerebral palsy.
- Premature deliveries account for a large number of cerebral palsy diagnoses. Because premature babies have fragile organs, bodies, and systems, it is crucial for doctors to make efforts to delay premature delivery.
- Kernicterus: Though jaundice is a common, low-risk condition in newborns, it becomes very dangerous when left untreated. When jaundice escalates into kernicterus, the excess bilirubin levels accumulate in the baby’s blood stream and cause extreme brain damage, cerebral palsy, and related lifelong disabilities. Because kernicterus is only a result of mismanaged jaundice, it is essentially always considered medical malpractice.
- Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a form of brain injury characterized by damage to the brain’s white matter. PVL causes cerebral palsy and related lifelong disabilities and is often the result of untreated low blood pressure, hypoxemia, infections, overventilation, and other complications associated with pregnancy and delivery.
- Maternal infections may transmit from the mother to the unborn baby when left undiagnosed, untreated, or mismanaged. Since roughly 5-10% of cerebral palsy cases are the result of transplacental infections, it is crucial for medical professionals to quickly diagnose and treat any present or potential maternal health issues. Maternal infections that are dangerous to babies in utero include chorioamnionitis, villitis, taxoplasmosis, herpes, Group B Strep (GBS), cytomegalovirus, rubella, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and bacterial vaginosis (BV).
Diagnosis, Treatment and Therapy
Specialists agree that early diagnosis is crucial for maximum recovery in cases of cerebral palsy. Because diagnosing cerebral palsy is often a drawn-out, complicated process, it’s important for parents, teachers, caretakers, and friends to be on the lookout for certain signs and symptoms of CP. Once family members detect the presence of cerebral palsy, they can proceed with the diagnostic process and begin treatment and therapy programs.
Below are some of the many treatment and therapy options available for individuals with cerebral palsy. Most patients create personalized comprehensive therapy programs that utilize a handful of different therapy exercises, treatments, and procedures. To learn more about treatment and therapy options, visit our complete page on treatments and therapies here.
- Adaptive equipment: Walkers, adaptive supplies, hearing aids, speech generators, adapted vehicles, adaptive recreational equipment, and other specialized technologies provide individuals with cerebral palsy with equal opportunity and independence.
- Medical treatments: Medications (botox, baclofen, etc.), surgeries (baclofen pump insertion, selective dorsal rhizotomy, etc.), magnesium sulfate treatment, and hypothermia treatment are some medical treatments available to cerebral palsy patients.
- Physical therapy
- Recreational therapy: Animal therapy (hippotherapy, equine-assisted therapy, dolphin therapy), sports therapy, ski therapy, adaptive cycling, aquatic therapy, art therapy, play therapy, special needs camps, and other forms of recreational therapy make rehabilitation more enjoyable for patients with CP.
- Occupational therapy
- Speech-language therapy and pathology
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
- Complementary and alternative therapies: Nutrition and diet therapy, hippotherapy, acupuncture, yoga and bodywork, Reiki, rolfing, the Alexander method, reflexology, electrical stimulation therapy, and behavioral therapy and counseling are some forms of therapy that, when combined with more traditional forms of treatment, complete individuals’ comprehensive therapy programs.
- Stem cell therapy
- Conductive education (CE)
- Suit therapy (Adeli suit therapy, NeuroSuit therapy, intensive suit therapy)
Legal Help for Birth Injury
Rochester Hills Cerebral Palsy Lawyers
The birth injury lawyers at Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys are dedicated to obtaining financial security for your loved one. At MCPA, our Rochester Hills cerebral palsy lawyers understand the financial and emotional hardships of a cerebral palsy diagnosis and vow to create close, dependable relationships with clients throughout the process of litigation. Please allow our Rochester Hills cerebral palsy lawyers to provide you with a free legal consultation today—call our life care experts toll-free at (888) 592-1857 or fill out our online contact form. We look forward to the opportunity to work with your family!