Philadelphia Jaundice Lawyer
Jaundice is a somewhat common condition among infants that happens when their blood levels contain too much bilirubin, which is a yellowish substance that occurs when the body breaks down old, deformed red blood cells. Jaundice is characterized by a yellowish hue of the skin. If you believe that your doctor failed in their duty to diagnose, monitor, or treat your newborn’s jaundice, and the jaundice caused an injury, our Philadelphia jaundice lawyer at The Villari Firm, PLLC is available to help you take the next steps in holding the doctor, hospital, or other medical entity responsible for the damages that were unfairly thrust upon you and your newborn.
How Does Jaundice Occur?
As mentioned previously, jaundice is an excess of bilirubin, which is the yellowish breakdown of old red blood cells. Bilirubin is prevalent in all humans, regardless of age or health, and is a natural process of the body. However, too much bilirubin causes jaundice, which is particularly common among premature babies born before 38 weeks of gestation. Other, non premature babies, can also develop jaundice due to an excess of bilirubin. Premature babies, and non premature babies, develop this excess buildup of bilirubin in their bloodstream because their liver is still developing.
How is Jaundice Usually Treated?
Doctors are usually on the lookout for jaundice, particularly among premature babies, because it is so common. And, because it is so easy to detect, there should be no confusion as to whether your baby has jaundice or not, at least to the trained medical eye. Doctors typically treat jaundice with exposure to strong photography lights, sunlight, and in some cases emergency blood transfusions. Both methods typically prevent jaundice from causing any harm to the baby.
What are the Dangers of Untreated or Undiagnosed Jaundice?
Jaundice is usually a harmless condition that the baby’s body recovers from on its own, or with brief exposure to sunlight. However, if the parents are not made aware of the condition and a baby’s bilirubin becomes excessively high due to untreated jaundice, this can damage the baby’s brain cells. This damage can lead to seizures and extreme injury to the newborn’s brain. Deafness, cerebral palsy, and permanent intellectual disability.
Contact a Philadelphia Jaundice Lawyer Today
Jaundice is a relatively easy condition to diagnose and treat. There is no reasonable excuse that a doctor or hospital can make when it comes to failure to detect or manage jaundice because the signs are so tell-tale. However, untreated jaundice can lead to tragic lifelong disability. If your child was harmed because of a medical provider’s inattention in the days and weeks following the birth of your child, you have the ability to hold them accountable by filing a medical malpractice jaundice injury claim. Our Philadelphia jaundice lawyers will help you gather medical evidence, compile your damages—which include medical bills, future cost of medical care and educational care, loss of joy of life, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and much more. To get started today, call The Villari Firm at 215-372-8889 to schedule a free consultation.
