Every year between 8,000 to 10,000 people are diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP). This is a disorder that affects the brain and causes motor deficiency. Palsy refers to paralysis. The majority of cerebral palsy cases are considered “congenital”, meaning the brain damage occurred before or during childbirth. The primary causes are maternal infections while pregnant, prematurity (born before 37 weeks), low birth weight (below 5.5 pounds), and complications during birth such as disrupted oxygen supply, etc. A much smaller percentage of cerebral palsy cases are considered “acquired”. This means that the brain damage occurs 28 days or more after birth. The causes of this are brain injury, infant infection, and restricted blood flow to the brain.
Cerebral palsy can cause other disabilities such has problems with hearing, speech and sight. Children with cerebral palsy should have an occupational therapist to prevent other problems. Cerebral palsy can also cause mental health issues in children. Children with CP can have behavioral problems, ADHD, anxiety and socialization problems. The child’s physician may recommend a mental health screening.
How are medical malpractice and cerebral palsy connected? Some examples that can lead to cerebral palsy include: failing to perform a C-section in a timely manner, bleeding on the brain caused by trauma, failing to find and treat infections, failing to monitor the fetal heart rate, and failing to detect/rectify issues with the umbilical cord. It can be very costly to care for a child with cerebral palsy.
If there is medical malpractice that caused your child’s CP, Thomas and Wan, LLP can help you and your child get compensation for medical care expenses, equipment costs, occupational and physical therapy, home renovation expenses, medical transportation costs, etc. Discussing your case with our experienced attorneys should be your next step. What would Thomas & Wan, LLP’s next step be? We need to prove the hospital, nurses, or doctor did not provide care that fit within the accepted medical standards and that these failures caused your child’s injuries. In order to do this, we will work to get you and your child’s medical records. All records will be reviewed by one of our medical experts. There is no obligation–please call 713-529-1177 today for a FREE consultation with our experienced medical malpractice attorneys.
