Birth Trauma

Roughly two million infants suffer from birth trauma during delivery, every year, in the United States. Birth trauma can cause mild and temporary injuries, impairments and may result in devastating injuries, permanent impairment, or even death. In some cases birth trauma is an unforeseen and unpreventable tragedy. In other cases, birth trauma is the result of medical error, malpractice and negligence. When a medical professional fails to prevent birth trauma, in a situation where he/she has the power to do so, they can be held liable for all injuries.

Common Causes

• Failure to diagnose prenatal infections, conditions and risk factors
• Forceful Birthing Techniques( improper use of vacuum or forceps )

Some results of Birth Trauma include:

• Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
• Cerebral Palsy
• Erb's Palsy

Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a condition in which the brain does not receive enough oxygen. This particular condition refers to an oxygen deficiency to the brain as a whole, rather than a part of the brain. Although the term most often refers to injury sustained by newborns, HIE can be used to described any injury from low oxygen. HIE can be fatal. Within as little as five minutes of oxygen deprivation, brain cells can begin dying. The disease can also cause long-term damage, including:

• Intellectual disability
• Delayed development
• Seizures
• Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) Cerebral palsy refers to a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and to maintain balance and posture. It is due to a non-progressive brain abnormality, which means that it does not get worse over time, though the exact symptoms can change over a person's lifetime. People with cerebral palsy have damage to the part of the brain that controls muscle tone. Muscle tone is the amount of resistance to movement in a muscle. It is what lets you keep your body in a certain posture or position.

Erb's palsy: A form of brachial plexus palsy in which there is paralysis of the muscles of the upper arm and shoulder girdle due to an injury to the roots of fifth and sixth cervical roots or the upper part of the brachial plexus, a network of spinal nerves that originates in the back of the neck, extends through the axilla (armpit), and gives rise to nerves to the upper limb. The brachial plexus is formed by the union of portions of the fifth through eighth cervical nerves and the first thoracic nerve, all of which come from the spinal cord. In Erb palsy, the arm is internally rotated and hangs limply at the side.

Erb palsy is also known as Duchenne-Erb palsy, Duchenne-Erb paralysis, Erb paralysis, and Erb's palsy.

References:

• cdc.gov 
• medterms.com
  
• (http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=96644)
• (http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=11874)
• (http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=11973)