Birth Injuries – When hopes crash

They say that there is no pain or pleasure that equals childbirth. This is perhaps one of the most important occasions in a woman’s life. Yet this joyous occasion is often marred when the child is born with some birth brain injuries. Though hopes may crash and tears flow, parents should first assess the cause of such a mishap. It could be due to medical negligence, among other reasons.  In the event of a child being born with birth injuries, you should try to keep your calm and take help from an attorney, experienced in matters related to birth injuries. You may not know, but in Michigan there are several parents who provide dedicated service to children born with traumatic brain injuries.

Taking care of a child injured during birth, can be a phenomenally expensive affair. You should therefore closely examine your chances of filing for a medical malpractice claim, which could provide the much-needed financial assistance needed at this critical hour.

Michigan brain injury lawyers frequently represent clients who have suffered birth brain injuries.  A detailed knowledge and understanding of those injuries, their treatment, and their affect on the client is essential to achieving the best possible settlement for the injured client.

You might often hear people referring to ‘medical error’ which has eventually caused the birth injuries or even increased the chances of a permanent birth defect in the child. But what exactly are ‘medical errors’? These commonly include the medical team’s inability to assess some birth complications like a contorted umbilical chord; failure to stop bleeding; ignoring conditions indicative of fetal distress; deferring an imminent need for doing a caesarean section; improper use of forceps or vacuum extractor during labor and even inadequate post-labor care.

What kind of impact do these medical errors have in the newborn? Among others, the child can suffer a permanent brain injury with a possibility of several sensory organs getting dysfunctional; cerebral palsy, injury to the central nervous system, etc. Some birth defects also show up later – like learning and emotional problems and substandard mental development.

Birth injuries can be of several types

Wrong use of forceps during delivery can cause a condition called shoulder dystocia, one of the most frequently-encountered birth brain injuries. Other than feeling intense pain, the child would suffer from impaired mobility of his hand or arm. Usually lifting the arm above shoulder level becomes a big problem for the child with shoulder dystocia.

An anoxic injury, also called mechanical birth injury, can be caused when there is a paucity of oxygen during labor. Such injuries could also be caused if there is a physical trauma, like skull fracture, during delivery.

Chances that a pregnant woman is prone to have a baby with birth brain injuries or go through extended labor pain become high when the mother is known for medication abuse, bears a large fetus or a breech birth. The risk doubles when the medical team unnecessarily postpones the decision to have a caesarean section.

Gestational diabetes, though a common problem with many pregnant women, also increases risks of a problematic childbirth. Statistics confirm that every two out of seven newborns in thousand births are likely to suffer birth brain injuries.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage – Some basic information

Michigan brain injury lawyers frequently represent clients who have suffered subarachnoid brain injuries.  A detailed knowledge and understanding of those injuries, their treatment, and their affect on the client is essential to achieving the best possible settlement for the injured client.

The space around the brain is called the subarachnoid space. The subarachnoid brain injury results from the rupture of any blood vessel in this area resulting in the space getting quickly saturated with blood. This leads to subarachnoid hemorrhage, a very serious medical condition.

What are the symptoms of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage?

We may not even be aware of any blood vessel rupturing inside the cranial space, but we may suddenly experience severe headache, one of the most common symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The intensity of the headache is such that it could easily be the worst of its kind, experienced by the sufferer. While in the most severe cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage, the patient may lose consciousness and eventually die, other symptoms associated with this condition are pain in the neck region, nausea and vomiting.

What causes Subarachnoid Hemorrhage?

Defects and irregularities in the arteries located at the base of the brain usually causes subarachnoid hemorrhage. This is manifested by tiny or circular inflamed areas seen in the arteries. These swellings are called aneurysms. This condition is more common in women than men, though there are chances of both the genders being affected, no matter what age.

Outcome of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

This is a condition with fatal outcome with a high mortality rate or a permanent disability. It has been observed that nearly 35% succumb to the first ever attack of subarachnoid hemorrhage while 15% may take a few days or weeks to collapse from any subsequent aneurysm. For those who survive this condition, would most definitely suffer permanent damage of the brain.

Suffering from post-concussion syndrome? Here is help at hand!

Michigan brain injury lawyers frequently represent clients who have suffered post-concussion syndrome injuries.  A detailed knowledge and understanding of those injuries, their treatment, and their affect on the client is essential to achieving the best possible settlement for the injured client.

Instances are not rare to find people suffering from post-concussion syndrome but what you do not normally find is such hapless people getting the requisite support and help from their brain injury lawyers in terms of settlement of their rightful claims.

How does a post-concussion syndrome injury happen in the first place? It is usually a result of a motorcycle accident or a similar traumatic event. Based on the cause of the injury sustained by the victim, he has every right to claim compensation for financial loses caused by the brain injury, for the ensuing pain and discomfort, physical disability, medical charges and of course for his lost wages, if any.

The after effects of a post-concussion syndrome, also called post-concussive syndrome or PCS does not involve just one or two symptoms but a host of symptoms which last for several weeks, months or even years. You could consider a post-concussion syndrome as the aftermath of a milder version of a distressing brain injury.

Brain concussions leading to brain injuries can affect physical, mental and emotional faculties of the victim. While some of the symptoms appear almost immediately after the event, some may show up after several weeks or months have lapsed. Here are some of these symptoms described in greater detail:

• Physical manifestations of a brain concussion include pain in the head, dizziness combined with feelings of nausea and/or vomiting, loss of sense of balance, tiredness, sleep disorders, sensitivity to light and sound, vision impairment and reduction of sensory perceptions like taste, etc.
• The emotional implications of the brain trauma are manifested by irritability, anxiety, restlessness, depression, emotionless deportment and emotional instability, intolerance to stress or alcohol and aggressive behavioral traits.
• The mental and cognitive symptoms include memory impairment, confusion, and impaired judgment, reduced cognitive processing, concentration problems and reduced working ability, and decreased sociability.

Victims of brain concussion need emergency medical examination to rule out any other life-threatening condition which might have occurred during the accident. Examination should be done using CT scan and MRI on an urgent basis. The cognitive functioning abilities are tested at a later stage.

Victims of post-concussion syndrome, who are coping with existing disabilities, are provided with assistance to return to normal living. Because stress and post-concussion syndrome are two sides of the same coin, repeated assurance is given to the patient that it is perfectly normal for him to have the symptoms and things would return to normal sooner than later.

Understanding Focal Brain Injuries

Michigan brain injury lawyers frequently represent clients who have focal brain injuries injuries.  A detailed knowledge and understanding of those injuries, their treatment, and their affect on the client is essential to achieving the best possible settlement for the injured client.

Why do focal brain injuries happen?

There is a difference between focal and diffuse brain injuries. While the former is limited to a specific region of the brain, the diffused version is spread over the entire cranial area. Focal brain injury can be caused due to trauma caused due to a critical blow to the head, or when the individual is a victim of a grievous and brutal assault. A bullet injury or a dangerous fall could also be reasons behind focal injuries to the brain. It has been seen that there is usually a severe damage of brain tissues at the position where the impact is most.

The varieties of focal brain injuries

Focal brain injuries can be broadly classified into two categories: open and closed. While the open injury happens when broken pieces of the skull hits the tissues of the brain, the closed variety occurs when the skull is broken and the pieces press against the brain. There are some simultaneous medical conditions that happen in such situations. For example, contusion is a condition that happens when the brain tissues are damaged or battered due to the trauma. Internal bleeding within the skull area is called intracranial hemorrhage, the more popular name for which is hematoma. Post trauma bleeding can either happen within the domain of the skull but outside the brain or sometimes it can also happen inside the brain.

How can you know that there has been a focal brain injury?

There is a wide range of signs and symptoms of a focal brain injury. Essentially the symptoms vary according to the location of the brain damage. If for instance, the speech controlling area gets damaged due to an injury, the faculty of speech of the victim would be impaired, again depending on the extent of the damage caused by the trauma. Any focal brain injury can be categorized according to the severity: mild, moderate and severe. The final outcome of the injury would largely depend on the degree of severity of the trauma that the brain has suffered.

Diffuse Axonal Injury from brain trauma

A head injury can have multiple consequences most of them serious. In about 50% of cases of all brain injuries, be it of mild or moderate intensity, the most common consequence is diffuse axonal injury. As the name suggests, the intrinsic nature of a diffuse axonal injury is characterized by its diffused area of occurrence, unlike a focal brain injury, where the trauma centers on a specific point in the brain. Because of the grievous outcome of such an injury, severe diffuse axonal injury is considered to be one of the main reasons of death amongst those who has suffered a trauma in the brain.

What causes diffuse axonal injury?

Contrary to popular belief, a diffuse axonal injury cannot be caused by a simple bump in the head. Injury to the brain can result from events related to motor or sporting accidents, violence, falls or child abuse situations like Shaken Baby Syndrome, etc, considered to be the primary causes behind diffuse axonal injury.

For example if the car in which the individual is traveling suddenly gains momentum or loses speed abruptly, his brain actually shifts back and forth within the skull cavity. This interrupts the normal functioning of axons as well as the message-transmitting neurons as they are thrown in complete disarray. As tissues mount on top of another, it paves the way to a traumatic brain injury. This results, as expected, the individual to fall unconscious and subsequently the individual goes into a vegetative state, a natural fall out of any serious brain injury.

The whole event ultimately causes decay and death of the live brain cells, resulting in brain inflammation. Once swollen, it creates additional pressure leading to reduced blood flow to the brain cells, paving the way for further brain damage. The situation is usually further precipitated by the release of certain chemicals when brain tissues tear or rub against each other during trauma.

First signs of diffuse axonal injury

The primary sign of diffuse axonal injury is that the person falls unconscious and may not regain consciousness till about 6 hours or more. Depending on the severity and location of the injury, other tell-tale signs of brain damage may also be visible in a victim suffering from mild to moderate diffuse axonal injury..

Diagnostic procedures of diffuse axonal injury

Doctors usually ask the conscious patient suspected to have undergone a mild diffuse axonal injury questions related to the accident – when and how, etc. Enquiries are made about his current sensations, feelings to test his existing medical condition.

The next step is to assess the seriousness of the trauma. Because most victims after a traumatic brain injury fall unconscious, the sole way to know about the severity is to run some tests, which include: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) – the most recommended and reliable diagnostic method,  CT scan, Evoked Potentials and Electroencephalogram (EEG): This test studies the electrical responses of the brain.

Treatment pathways for diffuse axonal injury

The first point to be noted is that surgery is always ruled out for a patient with diffuse axonal injury. A course with steroids and other anti-inflammatory medicines are administered to reduce inflammation, which usually increase chances of further brain damage.

Any step to improve or restore a patient with mild to moderate diffuse axonal injury can only start after the individual has regained consciousness. During this phase the family as well as the patient has to work in conjunction with people from several medical specialties to restore health and normalcy. The phase may include the intervention of speech, physical, occupational and recreational therapists, adaptive equipment training, counseling and more.

Prognosis of Diffuse Axonal Injury

The extent of diffuse axonal injury is what ultimately decides on the future of the patient. While patients suffering from mild to moderate form of the condition usually recover, 90% of those whose condition is severe remain unconscious. The remaining 10%, even after regaining consciousness may continue to live with several physical, emotional and mental disabilities.