Long Island

Published on: December 24, 2011

Grieving Mom Issues Birth Trauma Warning

by Stephen Bilkis

A grieving mother, whose newborn baby died following a string of hospital blunders, is joining other in the call to the NHS to learn from past mistakes and improve hospital delivery room operations.

The 34-year-old mother is suing the Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough Common, Orpington, after she was left in a triage room for more than three hours, even though she was presenting obvious signs of active labor.

This mother shared the tragic story that ended in the stillbirth of her young son to promote National Birth Trauma Awareness Week which ended Sunday, April 10.

Published on: December 13, 2011

Hospital Pays Eight-Year-Old £8.75M After Blunders Leave Her Permanently brain Damaged

by Stephen Bilkis

After an eight-year-old girl was left severely brain damaged at birth because of maternity staff blunders, she was awarded £8.75m by London’s High Court. The child was born at St Mary’s Hospital, Portsmouth, on March 16, 2003. Having been starved of oxygen in the womb because the clinical staff missed vital signs of fetal distress on monitoring equipment, she was born with irreversible brain damage.

The ‘affectionate’ little girl suffers from tetraplegic cerebral palsy and will be dependent upon others for the rest of her life.

Her mother sued Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust on behalf of her child. The Trust admitted liability in her tragic injuries and have released funds to the family in a series of interim payments. The final settlement was recently approved and consists of a £4.2m lump sum, plus annual, index-linked and tax-free payments, bringing the total value of the settlement to around £8.75m.

Published on: September 24, 2011

Common health problems that can be helped with chiropractic care

by Stephen Bilkis

Just as chiropractic care can be a benefit to dealing with the effects of Vertebral Subluxation Complex, it can also help with more common ailments and health issues that children face, reports a New York Birth Injury Lawyer. These common health problems that can be helped with chiropractic care include the need for constant antibiotic use, ear tubes, hyperactivity, common sniffles and head cold symptoms, headaches, colic, and more. For parents wanting to help their children overcome these health issues, a visit to a licensed and experienced chiropractor may do more for them than they ever dreamed possible. Surgery, prescription drugs, and alternative and often invasive medical procedures are often what doctors recommend, but according to the findings of a NY Birth Injury Attorney these are not the only way to treat and even help prevent many common ailments in children. In a recent eighteen-year long study of upper respiratory infections in a group of 100 families, researchers found that ear infection often occurred as a result of restricted spinal motion in the area of the upper neck. If this motion was restored, the respiratory symptoms often went away with it. The benefits of chiropractic care on the health of children are tremendous and should be considered, especially where Vertebral Subluxation Complex is involved. Perhaps the best part about chiropractic care In Manhattan and Long Island, both of which have many practitioners, is its non-invasive and preventative nature. As reported by a New York Lawyer, this type of total body care is a good way to help treat this and other debilitating issues that are caused by birth trauma.
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Published on: September 4, 2011

Cerebral Palsy: A Serious Birth Injury

by Stephen Bilkis

Cerebral Palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person’s mobility and ability to maintain posture and balance. Cerebral Palsy is caused by a non-progressive brain abnormality, meaning that the injury will not get worse over time, although the symptoms can change. Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to the part of the brain that controls muscle tone. Muscle tone refers to the amount of resistance to movement a muscle can sustain, or what lets your body keep you in a certain position or posture.

According to a New York Birth Injury Lawyer, in 1996 1 in every 278 children had Cerebral Palsy. In 2000 1 in every 323 suffered from the disorder. Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to the child’s brain. The part of the brain that is damaged determines what body part is going to be affected. Damage occurs when either an injury takes place (sometimes during birth) or when a genetic condition affects the blood supply to the brain. Bacterial meningitis and other infections, or bleeding in the brain, lack of oxygen, head injury or even severe jaundice can cause Cerebral Palsy. Children who were born prematurely, or with a low birth weight are more likely to have problems that may lead to Cerebral Palsy.

A NY Birth Injury Lawyer has discussed how the Center for Disease Control funds the North Atlantic Neuro-Epidemiology Alliance (NANEA). The NANEA studies factors that cause Cerebral Palsy, including infections, bleeding, and raised temperatures during pregnancy. These studies are being performed in Denmark. All of these factors can lead to children being born with Cerebral Palsy or suffering a birth injury that leads to Cerebral Palsy.

Published on: August 31, 2011

Birth defects from the use of the drug Topamax while pregnant could translate to a small settlement for some.

by Stephen Bilkis

A link between taking the drug Topamax or Topiragen while pregnant with children suffering from cleft palate, cleft lip, spina bifida or limb and facial birth defects has been found and might make some of these families eligible for a lawsuit, revealed a NY Birth Injury Lawyer. She said many of these pregnant women took Topamax to treat either seizure disorders or severe migraines.

The Food and Drug Administration revealed new statistics saying that pregnant women who take the drug have a much higher percentage of children with birth defects including cleft palate, cleft lip, craniofacial defects of the oral cavity than women who don’t take the drug.

NY Birth Injury Lawyers pointed out that these babies most likely face a higher risk as well for spina bifida, genital birth defects, limb malformations, hypospadias, persistent pulmonary hypertension and other genital and congenital birth defects or Klumpkes Palsy. They stated that because of these increased risks, the FDA now put the drug into “Pregnancy Category D,” which means it has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt to cause birth defects.

Published on: August 20, 2011

Childbirth can often be one of the first causes of a debilitating health issue.

by Stephen Bilkis

Hospitals in New York City and Long Island must be aware of the following situations.

As a NYC Birth Injury Lawyer mentioned earlier, Vertebral Subluxation Complex, which is a birth trauma-related spinal misalignment and nervous system issue, happens when the nerve signals from the brain to the rest of the body are interrupted. Childbirth can often be one of the first causes of this debilitating health issue. Since, 2004, the infant mortality rate in the United States has been on the rise, reports a New York Birth Injury Lawyer. This may be due in part to complications that arise from high-tech as well as high-risk pregnancies, as these situations also typically merit the use of high-tech (and thus potentially high-trauma) birthing methods. Infants who come out of a birth trauma situation alive have to be checked for Vertebral Subluxation Complex immediately to ensure that proper treatment and rehabilitation can take place. This is vital to the normal growth and development of the child. In addition to traumatic birth methods, there are other things that can cause the onset of Vertebral Subluxation Complex, including a fall or jolt (both in-utero and after birth) as well as minor post-birth physical traumas. Additionally, exposure to chemicals, prescription and non-prescription drug use, and even mental stressors have been known to bring on Vertebral Subluxation Complex and its related issues. As relayed by a New York Birth Injury Attorney, these exposures and subsequent health concerns can be very harmful if not dealt with immediately via preventative and focused care. If a problem like VSC has occurred because of a birth trauma, it is important to discern the root of the problem as quickly as possible. Labor and delivery negligence can result if these concerns are not taken seriously.

Your life and the life of your child are precious and if there was medical malpractice, someone needs to be held responsible. Only a dedicated and skilled New York Birth Injury Attorney can ensure you get justice. The Office of Stephen Bilkis and Associates can offer you support and guidance as well as a free consultation when you contact us at 1-800-NY-NY-LAW. We have offices in N York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.

Published on: August 13, 2011

Boy with Cerebral Palsy Needs a Motorized Wheelchair

by Stephen Bilkis

A family in Blacksburg, SC, is trying to take care of their 5-year old grandson as best they can, sources told a New York City Birth Injury Attorney. While it is currently unclear as to how the grandparents came to be the primary caretakers of this young man, they do have their work cut out for them. Their grandson has cerebral palsy, which will require him to have a lifetime of special care and services in order to survive each day.

His family is fully aware of the struggles the child faces and has been attempting to get him at least some of the things he will need, such as a motorized wheelchair. A New York Birth Injury Lawyer was informed that the family was recently turned down twice by Medicaid when they filed for assistance for the motorized wheelchair. It has been deemed necessary for the boy since he will be beginning his first year of school in the next school year. Attorneys in Manhattan and Long Island handle this type of case many times in a year.

Luckily, a local television station’s news department picked up on his story, and the family received some good news. Medicaid approved his wheelchair and he was soon sent a temporary wheelchair (non-motorized) until he can be fitted for his motorized wheelchair. A Medicaid representative stated that the problem was with the vendor the family had been working with that could not provide the type of wheelchair that was needed as the reason for the family’s claim being denied.

Published on: August 10, 2011

Family awarded $1.35 million after their son suffers severe brain damage due to a delivery full of unnecessary mistakes

by Stephen Bilkis

A small child has been awarded $1.35 million in a settlement due to permanent and severe brain injuries sustained during birth.

Four years ago a family’s dreams of having a normal child were crushed. They went to their local hospital in labor and began what they thought was a routine birth experience. Several hours passed before their nightmare began.

According to New York Birth Injury Lawyers, the doctor on staff failed to notice the child’s heart rate was rapidly dropping until it was too late. Experts agreed a Cesarean section should have been performed hours before the birth.

Published on: July 26, 2011

Cesarean Sections Used to Avoid Birth Injuries – Part 2

by Stephen Bilkis

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about one-third of U.S. women giving birth in 2008 delivered via a cesarean section. That number crossed all races and ages.

Cesareans are becoming more popular as mothers today are less likely to have a negative preconception about surgical delivery. The number is also rising as doctors are quicker to okay cesarean sections in order to avoid birth injury law suits, a New York Birth Injury Lawyer reveals.

The National Institutes of Health said just last year that it is safe for women to have a vaginal birth after C-section, known as VBAC, but some hospitals still do not regularly perform them. Classes on VBAC are offered at many hospitals across the country. It is available, but many who had a positive experience with the surgery the first time are likely to want it done on each subsequent surgery.

Published on: July 19, 2011

When there is no anesthesiologist on call for births, the consequences may be serious injury or death

by Stephen Bilkis

Designated pediatric hospitals have a distinct duty of care to their patients, mother and child alike. If they don’t have a dedicated anesthesiologist on staff, that may cause serious problems when an emergency arises, as often happens during live births, explained a New York Birth Injury Lawyer. That’s just how things go.

When minutes count towards the ultimate health of a child and count towards their possible life or death, an acute obstetrical emergency must have the right kind of staff on call to handle the situation. Hospitals with certain designations that specifically deal with obstetrical complications, generally have a dedicated anesthesiologist on staff, if they don’t, then they are not living up to the level of care that their patients need.

If something goes wrong because there was not an anesthesiologist on call and a baby and/or mother is seriously injured or dies, therein lies a medical malpractice birth injury lawsuit.