Our Michigan medical malpractice lawyers handle cases involving meningitis. Meningitis is condition that causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the spinal cord or the brain. In order to treat meningitis, the exact cause of the condition has to be determined This is a very serious condition that can cause permanent damage to the brain, neurologic problems, or even death.

The condition is normally a result of a viral or bacterial infection. However, the inflammation may also be caused by some rare conditions such as drug reaction, cancer or disease of immune system.  It is especially dangerous in infants.

There are incidents when this condition should have diagnosed and treated properly.  When this is not done and your newborn suffers injury and harm, it may give rise to  a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Signs and Symptoms of Meningitis

The most common symptoms of meningitis are lethargy, fever, and a decreased problem-solving ability, but these symptoms are difficult to detect in infants.

If the inflammation progresses beyond the membranes of the brain, the process is called encephalitis.   This can cause permanent and irreversible damage to the child, including blindness, hearing loss, and brain injury.

The most common occurrence of meningitis is in infants between birth and two years. The greatest risk lies after birth, and between three-eight months. Severe infections and problems in immune system at birth can increase the child’s risk of meningitis.

Treatment of Meningitis

If you suspect your child to be suffering from meningitis, you should seek immediate medical care.  Some points that need attention when you suspect that your child has meningitis are as under:

• When carrying the infant to the hospital, keep him as comfortable as possible. You must constantly observe the child for any deterioration in condition.
• Children with viral meningitis will be sent home as this can easily be treated by administering acetaminophen. It is also important to increase the intake of fluids.
• The child should be reevaluated in 1-2 days to make sure he/she is improving. If you find any worsening signs, you should immediately return to the medical facility.
• For more serious type of meningitis, the child is admitted in the hospital and treated through a variety of therapies and medical procedures.

Meningitis is a serious condition that can affect the social upbringing of your young one. The child may require medical treatment, special education, and other services that are a considerable expense over the child’s lifetime. These damage requests are included in medical malpractice lawsuit for seeking compensation for the failure to treat and diagnose meningitis.

Contact a Michigan Meningitis Malpractice Lawyer

An baby, infant, or child who has meningitis that is not timely treated and diagnosed by a hospital or physician can suffer permanent and irreversible injuries.  In such circumstances, the failure to properly treat the condition can give rise to a medical malpractice lawsuit.  Untreated meningitis can cause significant harm to the child and  can affect the social, academic and vocational upbringing of the child. 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.

Our Michigan birth injury lawyers handle cases involving jaundice.  According to an estimate, about 60% of newborns in the US are jaundiced; they look yellow.   However, most babies are not seriously jaundiced, and react normally. However, when jaundice attacks the infant severely, the effects can be very catastrophic.  The failure of a doctor or hospital to timely diagnose jaundice and start treatment can give rise to a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Causes of Jaundice

Jaundice is the yellow coloring of skin and other tissues. It is often seen in the sclera, the whites of the eyes, which become yellow.  The signs of severe bilirubin toxicity are as follows:

• Lethargy
• High-pitched cry
• Abnormalities of tone
• Fever
• Arching back

Jaundice is caused by high level of bilirubin in blood and tissues. Factors such as prematurity, bruising, blood group incompatibilities between mother and infant such as Rh and ABO blood types etc can all increase the production of bilirubin and lead to severe jaundice.

Treatment for Jaundice

Babies with high level of bilirubin can be treated properly. Phototherapy is a highly effective method used for treatment. It is the blue color in light that transforms the toxic form of bilirubin into a non-toxic, water soluble form that is eliminated. In situations when bilirubin reaches dangerous levels, extreme treatment method, known as exchange transfusion, may be used to remove the toxic bilirubin from blood.

Brain Damage due to Jaundice

Jaundice is a very severe condition but when properly diagnosed and treated often results in no injury to the baby.  When jaundice is left untreated, it can seriously affect the upbringing of your infant. Such damage requests are included in medical malpractice lawsuit for jaundice.

Contact a Michigan Jaundice Infection Malpractice Lawyer

If an infant suffers injuries due to jaundice that was not timely diagnosed and treated, it can give rise to a medical malpractice lawsuit.  Children with severe jaundice often develop conditions that 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.

Our Michigan birth injury lawyers handle cases involving kernicterus.  Kernicterus is a severe form of brain damage caused by excessive jaundice in infants. There have been incidents when the infants were not diagnosed and treated properly for jaundice because of caregiver’s negligence. In such circumstances, there may be a child birth injury medical malpractice lawsuit.

Kernicterus Facts

Kernicterus comes from the Greek word ‘kern’ meaning kernel and ‘icterus’ meaning yellow. Kernicterus refers to yellow staining of nuclei of the brain, called the basal ganglia. The condition involves specific part of basal ganglia, called the globus pallidus. Lesions of brainstem nuclei in auditory, oculomotor, cerebellum and vestibular systems are also included in it.

Signs and Symptoms of Kernicterus

Classic kernicterus involves the following:

• Specific movement disorders
• Hear loss or deafness
• impairment in moving the eyes
• abnormal staining
• staining of baby teeth

Testing for Kernicterus

There are plenty of routine and specialty testing services available to diagnose kernicterus such as MRI and PET scans, EMG, EEG, video EEG, metabolic and genetic testing, sleep studies, auditory and neuropsychological testing.

Treatment for Kernicterus

A number of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are adopted in order to relief patients of kernicterus. Pharmacological treatments include medication, and non pharmacological treatments may include speech therapy, occupational/physical therapy, rehab, botulinum toxic injections and deep brain stimulators.

Fortunately, kernicterus is a rare occurrence. However, the few infants who do suffer from it are very seriously impacted for the rest of their lives.

Contact a Michigan Kernicterus Malpractice Lawyer

If an infant suffers injuries due to kernicterus because jaundice was not timely diagnosed and treated, it can give rise to a medical malpractice lawsuit.  Children with severe sepsis often develop conditions that 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.

Our Michigan birth injury lawyers specialize in birth injury cases involving forceps injuries.  Forceps birth injuries can result into serious complications for the newborn. At times, these injuries are caused by a professional caregiver’s negligence, causing birth injuries that can even endanger the life of the newborns.

Forceps Injuries

Child birth complications such as breech position, prolonged labor or large baby delivery may require the use of forceps to deliver the baby safely. The use of forceps is only permissible if the baby appears to be in extreme distress, when the mother finds it hard to push, or when the position of the fetus in the birth canal is not correct. The shape and structure of forceps allow them to be clamped on the sides of the infant’s head. But this also puts the baby at risk for damage if the procedure goes wrong.

Causes of Forceps Injuries

If properly performed, forceps delivery can save the fetus’ life, or prevent it from deprivation of oxygen. If the fetus remains without oxygen for a long time, severe brain damage may occur. As such, the only option may be to use the forceps. However, due to vulnerability of the skull, the physicians must exercise a lot of care when performing forceps delivery.

Forceps injuries not only occur for infants, but may even be harmful for the mothers who stand increased risks for urinary tract infections, lacerations and rectum injuries.

Effects of Forceps Injuries

Cerebral palsy and facial nerve damage are two of the most severe risks of these deliveries.  Facial nerve damage may cause permanent facial asymmetry that is especially evident when the baby laughs or cries. Cerebral palsy is a condition that develops when the cerebrum of the brain is damaged. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for cerebral palsy, and it is considered a very expensive developmental disability over the course of a lifetime.

Contact a Michigan Forceps Injury Malpractice Lawyer

If an infant suffers injuries due to the negligent use of forceps, it can give rise to a medical malpractice lawsuit.  Babies who suffer forceps injuries often develop conditions that 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.

A Los Angeles jury recently awarded a brain damaged child $7.3 million dollars in a hospital malpractice lawsuit.  The lawsuit alleged that the hospital failed to diagnose and treat the child for meningitis when the child was just one year’s old.  The failure to treat the infection caused permanent and irreversible brain damage to the child.

The suit alleged that had the child been treated sonner with antibiotics, she would not have suffered the brain injury.  She now requires physical therapy and behavioral therapy as a result of her brain damage.  Bacterial meningitis is a treatable illness if timely diagnosed and if treatment is started in a timely manner.