Hyperbilirubinemia & Michigan Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Our Michigan birth injury lawyers handle cases involving hyperbilirubinemia. Hyperbilirubinemia is a condition characterized by excess bilirubin in blood. When the condition is not timely diagnosed and treated and an baby suffers injuries, it can give rise to a birth injury medical malpractice lawsuit.
Hyperbilirubinemia Facts
Hyperbilirubinemia is a condition in which there is excess bilirubin in blood. Bilirubin is formed by the break down of red blood cells. It is not simply for babies to get rid of bilirubin, and this substance tends to build up in blood and other fluids and tissues of the body. This is known as hyperbilirubinemia. As bilirubin has a yellow coloring, it causes the yellowing of skin and tissues, also known as jaundice.
Causes of Hyperbilirubinemia
In the course of pregnancy, the placenta excretes bilirubin. After the infant is born, the liver of the infant must take over this function. Some causes of hyperbilirubinemia include:
- Physiologic jaundice - this occurs as a normal response to the infant’s limited ability to excrete bilirubin in the early days of life
- Breast milk jaundice - nearly 2 percent of all breastfed babies develop this jaundice after the 1st week.
- Jaundice from hemolysis - this occurs when the hemolytic disease in the newborn causes the breakdown of red blood cells
- Inadequate liver function - the infant may also be jaundiced due to inadequate liver function
Hyperbilirubinemia - A Concern
This condition can become a serious concern if large amounts of bilirubin are excreted into the blood. In those times, bilirubin can also cause permanent damage to the brain, developing a condition called kernicterus.
Symptoms of Hyperbilirubinemia
The most common symptoms of bilirubinemia are as follows:
- Lethargy and poor feeding
- Yellow coloring of the infant’s skin, usually starting from the facing and progressing downwards
Treatment for Hyperbilirubinemia
Treatment for hyperbilirubinemia is determined by the physician on the basis of baby’s age, overall health, medical history, baby’s tolerance for particular medications or therapies and your personal opinion and preference.
Some common treatment measures include:
- Phototherapy
- Fiberoptic blanket
- Exchange transfusion to replace the damaged blood with fresh blood
- Ceasing breastfeeding for 1-2 days
- Treating an underlying cause that may be causing hyperbilirubinemia
Contact a Michigan Hyperbilirubinemia Malpractice Lawyer
If an infant suffers hyperbilirubinemia because a medical condition was not timely diagnosed and treated, it can give rise to a medical malpractice lawsuit. Hyperbilirubinemia can affect the social, academic and vocational upbringing of the infant. These often require services that amount to a significant expense over a child’s lifetime and are sought as damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
It is essential to contact our office as soon as possible so that we can obtain your child’s complete medical chart to determine whether there was negligence involved in the treatment. There are strict time delays for filing medical malpractice lawsuits in Michigan so it is essential to contact an experienced lawyer as soon as possible to see if your child has valid case.
If you would like more information about your rights after a Michigan birth injury, you can order our FREE book, “The Ultimate Michigan Medical Malpractice Handbook” by clicking on the book link. We will send it out immediately along with other important information.
For more information about Michigan birth injury cases, visit our Michigan personal injury, car accident, and malpractice law website. If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan birth injury attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.
BUCKFIRE & BUCKFIRE, P.C. is a Michigan personal injury law firm and is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time of the posting of the article. The information contained in this article is from online news sources and any perceived misstatements should be attributed to those sources as we did not complete any investigation of the accident. If you believe that the information is inaccurate and would like it changed or would like this post completely removed from the site, please let us know and we will do our best to promptly accommodate your request. We are very sensitive to these requests.
If you were involved in this accident or a similar accident and have questions about your legal rights and options, it is important that you contact a reputable law firm. Please make sure that any Michigan law firm that you contact has significant experience in handling these types of accident and injury cases and has an excellent track record of successful settlements and jury verdicts. We also suggest that the attorney you contact provides you with a free initial consultation.
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