Preventing Infant Brain Damage: Why it’s Important to Act Fast

Understanding Infant Brain Damage at Birth

There are many reasons why an infant can suffer from brain damage at birth, such as asphyxia, a mother’s low blood pressure, or skull fractures from a forceps delivery.

Brain damage can be prevented when doctors and other medical professionals involved in a baby’s care at birth, act quickly. Getting a baby treated fast can lower the risk of developing long-term complications related to brain damage. Here’s what you need to know.

How Doctors Can Prevent Infant Brain Damage

Depending on the severity of brain damage, there are a few procedures that doctors can use to treat or prevent brain damage from progressing, such as:

Surgery

Improper use of forceps or a vacuum extractor can cause severe head trauma, including skull fractures or bleeding on the brain. Surgical treatments can be used to drain blood or other fluids that put pressure on the brain and repair skull fractures.

Hypothermia Treatment

Hypothermia treatment is a relatively new, yet, innovative treatment that has produced good results in preventing infant brain damage. The procedure involves cooling the brain, which helps prevent harmful substances from developing in the brain that kills off cells.

Medication

If a baby has suffered brain damage, doctors may incorporate medication into a treatment plan. For example, if a baby is having seizures due to brain damage, anti-seizure medicines may limit the occurrence or stop the seizures from happening.

Brain Damage Risk Factors for Infants

The following are common risk factors at birth that can lead to infant brain damage:

• Improper use of forceps or vacuum extraction during the delivery process.
• Maternal infections that were left untreated.
• Umbilical cord issues such as a compressed or prolapsed umbilical cord or cord wrapped around a baby’s neck causing asphyxia.
• Placental abruption (when the placenta tears away from the uterus).
• Uterine rupture (tears through the layers of the uterus).
• Low levels of amniotic fluid.
• Premature birth.
• Prolonged labor.
• Placenta previa (when the placenta grows unusually low in the uterus).
• Anesthesia errors.
• Fetal stroke (blood vessels in the baby’s brain become blocked).
• Breech presentation.
• Preeclampsia (maternal high blood pressure).

Did Your Baby Suffer Brain Damage at Birth? We Are Here For You.

When a baby suffers brain damage at birth, the long-term consequences can be devastating. When doctors and other medical professionals don’t act fast or fail to act at all, when complications arise, our Philadelphia birth injury attorneys at The Villari Firm, PLLC are here to help you seek justice.

We work with top experts, including doctors and other legal professionals, to assist with investigation and preparation for birth injury cases. We’ll spare no expense in helping our clients receive the compensation needed so their baby can be provided with the best care and a better future.

Contact The Villari Firm, PLLC at 215-372-8889 to schedule a free consultation today.