Birth Injury Lawyer Blog 24/7
Birth injuries are often caused by doctor errors during the birthing process, but some parents in New York should make sure their newborn is not being put in danger by testing performed immediately after the birth. It’s possible that an excessive amount of testing is dangerous to babies.
A New York Birth Injury Lawyer can help you decide if you should bring a medical negligence lawsuit against the medical facility you gave birth in.
An example of excessive testing by doctors was recently detailed in the New York Times. The story uncovered data that pointed toward an excessive amount of potentially unnecessary X-rays being done on newborn babies. The babies were up to 26 weeks premature, and the excessive testing was allegedly done at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.
Premature babies often undergo X-rays of their chest area to make sure they are healthy; the testing is a necessary part of diagnosing the child. The article, however, cited state inspectors who found 27 cases in which infants were over-radiated on multiple occurrences. Inspectors also found examples of infants who did not have proper shields placed over them during X-ray procedures, leaving their head, arms, chest, and abdomen exposed to the rays when they should not have been.
The State Health Commissioner said, “We were disappointed to find so many X-rays in our sampling that did not have adequate shielding to protect infants from being exposed to excess radiation. Additional training and monitoring must be put into place to rectify this situation.”
Because infants’ cells divide quickly, and because of the likelihood that they will face X-rays many more time over the course of their life, excessive exposure to infants increases their eventual risk of developing some form of cancer. On Staten Island, Hospitals must guard against many different kinds of birth injuries.
The possibility of medical negligence in the first days of life causing life-long damage and abnormally high chances of developing a life-altering or life-threatening cancer is an atrocious affront, a New York Birth Injury Lawyer says.
I
If you feel your child was over-medicated in this way, contact a New York Birth Injury Attorney as soon as possible. Review the details of your child’s case with a dedicated legal professional committed to seeking justice.