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Meconium Aspiration Lawyers
Ohio and Northern Kentucky Malpractice Attorneys for Preventable Injuries Caused By Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
Childbirth can be one of the most memorable days in a parent’s life, but when their child suffers from birth injuries, that day can be memorable for the wrong reasons. One such birth injury is meconium aspiration syndrome, which can cause serious health complications for the baby.
If your child has suffered from meconium aspiration, you need a birth injury lawyer who can help evaluate your case and prove negligence. The Ohio and Kentucky birth injury lawyers at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm can help you file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the medical professionals responsible for your child’s birth injury. Call us toll-free at (800) 698-4054 to schedule a free initial consultation with a member of our team today.
What is Meconium Aspiration Syndrome?
Meconium is a dark brown or green substance that newborns have in their intestines before birth, which they will typically pass like stool within the first 24-48 hours after birth. In some cases, however, they may pass meconium before they are born, which can stain the amniotic fluid surrounding them.
Inside the womb, the fetus is suspended in amniotic fluid, which protects it from things like temperature changes and allows it to grow. When babies pass meconium in the womb and into the amniotic fluid, the mixture of meconium and amniotic fluid could pass into the baby’s lungs. This can cause what is known as meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), which can lead to lung irritation, oxygen deprivation, or even fetal death.
What Causes Meconium Aspiration Syndrome?
Birth injury causes can vary depending on many different factors, and meconium aspiration syndrome is no exception. In some cases, meconium aspiration syndrome occurs as a result of a late delivery. In other cases, it occurs as a result of the environment the fetus was in.
Risk Factors for Meconium Aspiration
There are a few risk factors that can increase the chances that a child will suffer from meconium aspiration syndrome. A fetus may be at a greater risk of meconium aspiration syndrome if:
- The baby is delivered past its due date;
- The baby did not grow well in the womb;
- The labor process is long and difficult;
- The mother has high blood pressure; or
- The mother drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes during pregnancy.
How To Know if Baby Passed Meconium In Womb
While meconium aspiration syndrome usually requires a chest X-ray, there are signs and symptoms that can indicate the child has passed meconium in the womb. When meconium passes into the amniotic fluid, it can stain both the child and the amniotic fluid a brown/green color. Additionally, if the meconium is aspirated, the baby may have trouble breathing or may show signs of fetal distress.
Doctors and other medical professionals have an obligation to provide their patients with proper care and monitor the baby and mother for symptoms of meconium aspiration, like meconium staining or fetal distress. If you believe your child’s birth injury was the result of a lack of monitoring, you should contact an experienced birth injury attorney to evaluate your case as soon as possible. You may be able to recover compensation in a medical malpractice case.
Potential Meconium Aspiration Syndrome Complications
When babies inhale meconium-stained amniotic fluid, that meconium can pass into their lungs and cause irritation and potential breathing problems. The most common complications linked to meconium aspiration are infection, pneumonia, and asthma. In more severe cases, babies can suffer from a collapsed lung or oxygen deprivation.
Babies who suffer from oxygen deprivation before birth can experience permanent brain damage, which can lead to lifelong conditions such as cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy can require a lifetime of medical assistance and can decrease a person’s quality of life, which is why it’s important that doctors and nurses do what they can to prevent birth injuries like meconium aspiration syndrome.
How To Treat Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
Meconium aspiration syndrome can be treated in a few ways, depending on how long ago the child passed meconium into the amniotic fluid, the thickness of the meconium, or the severity of the child’s breathing problems. Treatments can include:
- Creating suction in the baby’s airway to remove or dislodge meconium;
- Tapping on the baby’s chest to remove or dislodge meconium;
- Giving the child antibiotics for infection; and
- Putting the child on a ventilator or respirator to ensure they receive enough oxygen.
Can I Sue for Meconium Aspiration Syndrome?
Yes, if your child suffered from meconium aspiration as a result of medical negligence, you can sue for meconium aspiration syndrome. Preventable birth injuries that occur as a direct result of a doctor or other medical professional’s negligence can be grounds for a birth injury lawsuit.
Medical malpractice can lead to meconium aspiration syndrome in a couple of ways. If your doctor failed to monitor your child for signs of fetal distress, failed to evaluate risk factors, or failed to perform a C-section after detecting meconium staining, they could be found negligent. This could make them financially liable for any meconium aspiration-related complications like cerebral palsy.
How a Birth Injury Lawyer Can Help Your Case
Like all medical malpractice cases, birth injury cases require a substantial amount of evidence to prove that the child’s birth injuries were actually caused by a negligent health professional.
A Northern Kentucky or Ohio birth injury attorney from TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm will be able to evaluate the circumstances surrounding your child’s birth injury and collect evidence to prove that a delivery room doctor or nurse’s negligence led to your child suffering from meconium aspiration syndrome. They can do this by gathering evidence like medical records, interviewing witnesses, and contacting expert witnesses who can help establish a standard of care for a particular position in a particular field of medicine.
Call the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Birth Injury Lawyers at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm Today
Birth injuries can be both physically and emotionally devastating. While a medical malpractice claim can’t undo any of the hardships you and your family have faced, filing a claim can help you cover expenses and receive fair compensation for your losses to help alleviate some of that pain.
If your child suffered from injuries as a result of meconium aspiration syndrome, you may be able to file a birth injury lawsuit. The skilled Ohio and Northern Kentucky medical malpractice attorneys at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm have experience handling a wide range of birth injury cases. Call us toll-free at (800) 698-4054 or contact us online and schedule a free consultation with a birth injury lawyer from our team today.