HIE Attorney – Practicing Birth Injury & Medical Malpractice in New York
If your baby developed a serious injury as the result of HIE, you may deserve much-needed compensation through a New York birth injury lawsuit. After a birth injury, get a skilled evaluation of your potential legal claim by contacting a HIE attorney at Rusk, Wadlin, Heppner & Martuscello, LLP for a no-cost consultation.
HIE, or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, is an extremely serious complication that can occur during infant delivery. HIE can result in profound brain injuries and often proves fatal to infants. The severity of an infant’s injuries after HIE depends on a number of factors, including the response of the medical team performing the delivery.
What is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy?
Sometimes known as birth asphyxia, perinatal asphyxia, or neonatal encephalopathy, HIE is caused by the deprivation of oxygen to an infant’s brain during or immediately prior to delivery. When an infant’s blood flow is cut off around or during delivery, this can result in the death of brain cells. Once some cells die, others around them are also killed in a cascading manner.
Causes of HIE
HIE can result from several causes, including:
- Rupture of the uterus
- Low amniotic fluid
- Umbilical cord strangulation (nuchal cord)
- Prolapsed umbilical cord
- Delayed or prolonged delivery
- Traumatic delivery resulting in bleeding on the brain (intracranial hemorrhage)
HIE is a condition that affects between 2 and 9 of every 1000 live births. Asphyxia during delivery is one of the most common causes of infant death during childbirth, as it is responsible for about 23% of all neonatal fatalities. Between 10% and 60% of all infants who develop HIE die from their injuries. Among the survivors, 25% are left with serious TBI (traumatic brain injury).
Doctors have a responsibility to prevent HIE when possible
Responsible physicians should always be watching for signs and symptoms of oxygen deprivation in a fetus prior to or during delivery. In some cases, HIE is the direct result of the obstetrician’s actions, such as improper use of forceps or vacuum methods during delivery. In other cases, the injury may have independent causes but still require swift action by doctors, such as by using total-body cooling or selective-head cooling methods to prevent the injury from worsening.
You may be entitled to file a claim after a birth injury
When doctor errors result in severe or fatal HIE brain injuries, families may be entitled to compensation for the pain of their loss, or to help them afford the extraordinary costs associated with treating severe TBI. The Hudson Valley birth injury lawyers at Rusk, Wadlin, Heppner & Martuscello, LLP have decades of experience helping victims of physician errors get the money they need and deserve after severe birth injuries such as HIE. Our compassionate attorneys will investigate and file a claim for damages on your behalf, handling negotiations with insurers and litigating as needed so that you can focus on healing. Contact our Kingston offices today for a free consultation after a birth injury.
Help is Available after Serious Hudson Valley Birth Injury Malpractice
For skilled and professional legal help after a New York birth injury, contact the Hudson Valley HIE TBI lawyers at Rusk, Wadlin, Heppner & Martuscello, LLP for a consultation at 845-331-4100 (Kingston), or 845-236-4411 (Marlboro).
