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Fetal Acidosis Birth Injury Lawyers
Ohio and Northern Kentucky Malpractice Attorneys for Fetal Acidosis Birth Injuries
There are a number of very serious health complications a fetus can suffer from before birth, but thanks to advancements in medical technology, these complications can often be detected and treated before they cause serious injury. Unfortunately, not all medical professionals provide pregnant patients and unborn children with the reasonably competent care that they deserve. This is unacceptable.
Fetal acidosis is a serious condition that can lead to serious lifelong health problems and even death. Complications from fetal acidosis are preventable through proper monitoring and timely treatment. When medical professionals fail to detect fetal acidosis, they can be found negligent in a birth injury lawsuit.
If your child is the victim of medical malpractice, you deserve justice. The Northern Kentucky and Ohio birth injury lawyers at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm are prepared to fight on your behalf so you can receive fair compensation for your losses. We serve residents of both Kentucky and Ohio and can help victims file birth injury claims in either state. Call us toll-free at (800) 698-4054 to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced birth injury attorneys today.
What is Fetal Acidosis?
Fetal acidosis is a condition in which a fetus’ blood becomes acidic. Blood is usually at a pH of 7.4, and any slight variation from that norm can be extremely dangerous. The blood is able to keep a steady pH level by balancing acidic chemicals (which can lower the PH) and basic chemicals (which can raise the pH).
If someone’s blood pH falls below 7.35, they are considered to have acidemia. This will either occur because their blood has an excess of acids, a lack of bases, or both. In fetuses, this can occur as a result of oxygen deprivation, which can be caused by things such as a compressed umbilical cord.
If left untreated, fetal acidosis can severely damage a baby’s brain and cause irreversible brain damage or even fetal death.
Types of Fetal Acidosis
There are two main kinds of fetal acidosis: fetal respiratory acidosis and fetal metabolic acidosis. Understanding the difference between the two types can help you better understand how acidosis occurs and how it affects the body of an infant.
Fetal Respiratory Acidosis vs Fetal Metabolic Acidosis
Respiratory acidosis is caused by an increase of CO2 in the blood, which is an acid. Metabolic acidosis is caused by a decrease in HCO3, which is a base. In both cases, the blood’s acid-base balance is thrown off, causing the blood to become acidic.
Usually, if respiratory acidosis continues for long enough, it can cause metabolic acidosis. This can lead to mixed metabolic and respiratory acidosis, which can occur if the infant’s blood experiences increased CO2 and decreased HCO3. This mixed presentation is the most common form of acidosis in infants.
All forms of fetal acidosis can cause an infant to sustain serious injuries and can even be life-threatening. Fetal acidosis is usually assessed by blood samples taken from the newborn’s umbilical cord.
What Causes Fetal Acidosis?
Fetal acidosis can be caused by a number of factors. Some of the causes of fetal acidosis include:
- Umbilical cord compression;
- Umbilical cord around the neck;
- Umbilical cord prolapse;
- Fetal hypoxia;
- Placental abruption;
- Uterine rupture;
- Delivery complications like shoulder dystocia;
- Long or stressful delivery; and
- Misuse of labor-inducing drugs like Cytotec or Pitocin.
Signs of Fetal Acidosis
There are a number of signs that could indicate a child is suffering from fetal acidosis, some of which can even be detected while in utero. Signs of fetal acidosis include:
- Fetal distress
- Limited fetal movement
- Difficulty in oral motor functions
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Respiratory distress
- Low Apgar score
- Stillbirth
Proper fetal monitoring is crucial to early detection, and early detection can help lower the risk of birth injury. Medical professionals can use medical equipment like a fetal heart rate monitor to spot the signs of acidosis, like fetal distress.
Fetal acidosis can be diagnosed through physical exams, fetal blood tests, and electronic fetal monitoring.
Potential Fetal Acidosis Consequences
Fetal acidosis can cause serious birth injuries. Some of the most common birth injuries caused by fetal acidosis include:
- Permanent brain damage
- Developmental delays
- Cerebral palsy
- Seizures
- Paralysis
- Blindness
- Meconium aspiration
- Hypoxic-Ischemic encephalopathy
- Death
Birth injuries from fetal acidosis are preventable, but if doctors or other medical professionals fail to monitor the fetus properly, they can miss the signs of acidosis. The longer acidosis goes undetected and untreated, the higher the risk of serious complications like birth injuries.
If a medical provider fails to diagnose acidosis in a timely manner and the child suffers from personal injury as a result, the parents can file a birth injury lawsuit against the negligent party responsible for the injury.
A birth injury claim would allow the parents to recover compensation for their losses. While money can’t reverse a child’s injury, it can help the parents cover medical bills, physical therapy treatments, and assistive equipment for their child.
Fetal Acidosis Treatment
If potential fetal acidosis is detected before delivery, the mother can receive IV fluids and be administered oxygen to help improve the baby’s oxygenation. Doctors may also perform an emergency C-section in order to remove the baby from a hypoxic uterine environment. The longer the child suffers from fetal acidosis, the higher the likelihood of permanent injury.
If the child suffers from birth injuries as a result of metabolic or respiratory acidosis, the child may need additional medical treatment. Treatment of various birth injuries depends on the type of injury and the severity of the injury.
Can You Sue for Fetal Acidosis?
Yes, if your child is diagnosed with fetal acidosis and suffered from birth injuries as a result, you may be able to sue for your losses. Birth injury victims are often the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society: newborn infants. When medical professionals fail to provide these infants with the minimum standard of care, they can cause serious, lifelong injuries.
If your child suffered from serious birth injuries as a result of medical negligence, you may have grounds to file a medical malpractice claim. The Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky birth injury lawyers at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm are experienced in handling a wide range of birth injury cases, so you can rest assured that your case is in the right hands. Call us toll-free at (800) 698-4054 to speak to an experienced birth injury on our team about your case.
How a Lawyer Can Help You Prove Negligence for Your Birth Injury Claim
Birth injury claims require in-depth knowledge of the legal process, as well as an in-depth understanding of best medical practices. That’s why it’s important to find a reputable attorney who has experience in trying medical malpractice cases, like labor and delivery malpractice cases, to handle your case.
An experienced birth injury attorney will be able to investigate the circumstances surrounding your child’s birth injury and prove that your child’s birth injury occurred as a result of a negligent medical error. They’ll do this by gathering evidence, compiling medical records, and speaking to medical experts about your case.
The skilled Ohio and Kentucky medical malpractice attorneys at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm have over 50 years of hands-on experience handling personal injury claims like birth injury claims and medical malpractice claims. We strive to ensure our birth injury clients receive the care and compassion that they deserve, all while fighting for justice on their behalf.
The Elements of Medical Negligence
In order to prove that a medical professional directly caused your child’s birth injury, the four elements of negligence have to be established. These elements include:
- Duty of care: a responsibility to provide a patient with the minimum standard of care;
- Breach of duty of care: a failure to provide that standard of care;
- Causation: a link between the breach of duty and the birth injury; and
- Damages: the losses that occurred as a result of the injury.
Healthcare providers are expected to uphold a certain standard of care, which is the minimum amount of care they are required to provide their patients. When they fail to uphold this standard, they can be found negligent and be held responsible for their actions or inaction.
A birth injury lawyer can prove that a medical professional failed to uphold this standard by calling in an expert witness. This witness is usually another medical professional who works in the same field as the professional who caused the injury. If the expert states that they would have acted differently under the same or similar circumstances, the court may find that the medical professional who caused the injury breached their duty of care to their patient and find them negligent.
Potential Damages for Fetal Acidosis
If your child suffered a birth injury like cerebral palsy or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, you may be able to recover compensation for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future therapy expenses
- Medical equipment and assistive devices
- Loss of earning capacityl for the child
- In-home medical care
Call the Ohio and Kentucky Medical Malpractice Attorneys at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm Today
Fetal acidosis birth injuries can have lasting effects on both the child as well as their parents, which is why many birth injury victims file a medical malpractice claim for their losses. At TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm, we want to ensure victims of medical negligence see justice.
Medical malpractice lawsuits require years of experience in the legal system and extensive knowledge of personal injury law, so it’s important to hire a skilled birth injury lawyer to handle your case. Our professionals at TLF will investigate your child’s birth injury situation and can help determine the best course of action for you moving forward.
Ready to get started? Schedule a free consultation with an experienced birth injury lawyer on our team – you can contact us via our website, call us toll-free at (800) 698-4054, or call our office closest to you. You can reach our Kentucky office at (859) 578-9130 or our Ohio office at (513) 651-4130.
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We are happy to offer a free consultation to evaluate your case. If you hire us as your legal counsel, we will represent you on a contingency-fee basis. You will pay no attorneys’ fees unless we recover financial damages.