Every expectant parent hopes and prays that all will be well with their baby’s birth and health. The relief and joy is palpable when you are told that all is well. But unfortunately for some parents the reality is that their child has a condition that affects their health. When that child’s condition is caused due to the negligence of health professionals then the pain and disappointment of parents is even greater. Many parents want answers and justice for their child.
Neonatal medical conditions occur after an infants birth. If such conditions are not diagnosed and treated in a timely and proper fashion they can result in serious risk factors to the child and can often result in long term disability, therapeutic intervention, neurosurgery and in rare instances such as obstetric cholestatis even death. A late diagnosis or failure to take appropriate intervention may be considered medical negligence.
CONDITION
Hip Dysplasis
This is a dislocation of the leg from the pelvis. It is important that health care professionals carry out regular screening tests throughout infancy, and examination of the hips until the child is walking normally. Sometimes this condition develops in the mothers womb prior to the baby’s birth. This condition may not be present at birth, a child may go on to develop the problem at a later stage.
Neonatal Hypoglycaemia
This condition results in a lower than normal concentration of glucose in an infants blood stream which can cause damage to the brain and subsequent impairment.
Certain children are at increased risk during the early hours and days after birth including infants of insulin dependent mothers, infants with growth retardation, pre-term and asphyxiated infants. Failure to diagnose this condition and failure to take timely intervention can lead to permanent damage.
Obstetric Cholestasis
This is a liver disorder that affects approximately 1% of pregnant women and continues until delivery. This condition results from a reduced flow of bile fluids which are produced by the liver. The condition does pose an increased risk of harm to the baby and may prove fatal unless it is recognised promptly and treated properly.
CAUSE
Hip Dysplasis
In the event that regular screening and examination of the hips does not occur and if where necessary no referral has been made for an ultrasound or x-ray together with subsequent specialist opinion where the condition is present, this delay makes treatment more complicated and may have serious long term effects. A late diagnosis may be considered medical negligence.
Neonatal Hypoglycaemia
The general medical view is that blood sugar levels in newborn infants should be maintained at 2.6 mmol/l or above. The clinical signs and symptoms can be difficult to identify as they can often be subtle and vary from one infant to another. However this condition should be considered if a baby has some or all of the following after delivery:
- Jitteriness
- Trembling
- Difficulty maintaining normal body temperature
- Lethargy
- Listlessness
- Poor feeding
Thankfully these are rare conditions and it is essential for such conditions to be diagnosed at an early stage and appropriate intervention to take place as failure to do so can have devastating consequences for an infant and may result in cerebral palsy
Obstetric Cholestasis
The condition is stressful for mother but poses a greater risk to the unborn baby. This condition necessitates an early delivery at around and between the 35th to the 38th week of gestation to prevent the possibility of still birth. It is important that any pregnant women who feels that she is itching more than normal should seek medical help during her pregnancy so that a blood sample for evaluation of liver function can take place. If liver function is abnormal and after eliminating all possible other diseases then with ongoing monitoring and care this condition can be treated effectively.
In such instances where symptoms were reported and tests were not taken, medical negligence may have occurred.
WHAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER IN TAKING A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM
Our medical negligence expert solicitors work with our team of specialist medical consultants whose disciplines include birth injuries and noenatal disciplines.
If you feel that you or your baby have suffered medical negligence we will assist you in obtaining answers to the question – what went wrong. We will obtain your entire medical records. If we are satisfied that negligence occurred we will guide you through the process of filing suit with a view to obtaining justice and financial compensation.
During the legal process we engage Senior Counsel who have extensive and vast experience in dealing with medical negligence cases and in particular birth injury and noenatal litigation. We secure the attendance in court of all our expert witnesses and to give evidence in the case should the claim not be settled in advance.
