Nassau

Published on: November 10, 2011

Quick Action Can Save Newborns from Suffocation

by Stephen Bilkis

A program dubbed Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) is championed by many doctors. A doctor from the African continent highlights a startling truth when he says, “Whenever people talk about emergency, they rarely think about children but focus on adults.” This doctor’s ability to think on his feet during emergencies have saved countless lives and he is dedicated to sharing his knowledge with his colleagues.

In Africa, local hospitals rarely have child-specific Intensive Care Units, explains NYC Birth Injury Lawyers.

Every year, roughly four million babies die globally during their first month of life.

Published on: October 27, 2011

Kent, England Child Awarded Millions

by Stephen Bilkis

A London High Court awarded an 8-year old child a multi-million pound settlement, a New York Birth Injury Attorney claims. The award is a result of a lawsuit that was filed on her behalf by her mother for medical negligence that occurred at birth that resulted in the girl being born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

The award includes an initial payment of £900,000, or about $1.5 million USD, and an annual payment of £100,000, or $162,576.85 USD that includes an annual index adjustment, sources tell the Manhattan Birth Injury Attorney. The annual payment will increase when the girl turns 19 to £155,000, or $ 252,025.50 USD.

Due to her medical condition, the child will require constant care for the rest of her life, as she cannot feed, bathe, dress, nor fend for herself. Sources informed the NY Birth Injury Lawyer that the mother filed the suit so that her child could be provided for in the event that neither she nor her husband is no longer living or in a position to care for their daughter.

Published on: September 28, 2011

Prozac birth defects now include PPH

by Stephen Bilkis

It was revealed today that new studies are showing a strong link to the drug Prozac and persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) in newborns.

“PPHN does not allow newborns to get enough oxygen,” claims one Manhattan Birth Injury Lawyer. “In a medical journal this disorder is sadly described by one doctor, ‘Subsequently, with the loss of placental gas exchange and the inability to increase pulmonary blood flow, arterial oxygen tension falls to very low levels. If this situation is not reversed, the infant may die of severe hypoxemia.’ Women need to be aware of this risk before taking Prozac.” He added.

From the study it appears that babies born to mothers who took antidepressants like Prozac 20 weeks or later in their pregnancy were more than five times as likely to develop the condition than babies born to mothers who had not taken anti-depressants during their pregnancy. Hospitals in Nassau and Suffolk Counties are very aware of these situations.

Published on: September 17, 2011

There are five main components to Vertebral Subluxation Complex

by Stephen Bilkis

Vertebral Subluxation Complex, a debilitating spinal misalignment and nervous system issue brought on by birth trauma, happens when the nerve signals from the brain to the rest of the body are interrupted. As relayed by a NY Birth Injury Lawyer, the spinal cord’s involvement with the nerve signal process is integral to how the human body functions; when this process is not functioning properly, serious developmental and structural issues can crop up. There are five main components to Vertebral Subluxation Complex. First, it settles in the joints of one or more of the 24 spinal bones, which then heal incorrectly. This can result in the bones becoming either too loose, too tight, or misaligned altogether. Second, the affected joints can pinch and irritate the spinal nerves and thus interfere with the transfer of information from the brain to the nerves in the rest of the body. Third, muscles can spasm or weaken, which leads to the fourth issue: muscle inflammation and even the potential development of scar tissue. Fifth and finally, the spine itself can begin to slowly degenerate and cause limitations in overall range of motion, which leads to severe pain and the inability of the body as a whole to develop properly. Doctors and nurses in Nassau and Suffolk Counties are always on alert when it comes to this. Vertebral Subluxation Complex is a serious issue that needs dealt with quickly. A New York Birth Injury Attorney has reported that immediate treatment and rehabilitation of the affected body parts and nervous system can your child move past this horrible health problem so they can lead a happy and healthy life.
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Published on: September 11, 2011

Hospital Challenges Birth Injury Ruling

by Stephen Bilkis

The National Maternity Hospital is set to appeal to the Supreme Court concerning a finding that the hospital is liable for severe and permanent brain injuries suffered by a young boy because of its “substandard and negligent” management of his birth.

The young wheelchair-bound boy sued the NMH for injuries sustained during his birth. The judge found that had he been born just a half-hour earlier, he would not have suffered the irreversible brain damage.

According to a New York Birth Injury Lawyerthe decision to appeal means the boy, who is now six, will have to wait at least another two years before he knows if he can collect on any damages from the hospital. His case is the longest birth injury case on record; the hearing began in March of 2007, and ran for 54 days, with judgment given just last week.

Published on: August 2, 2011

One Woman’s Home Birthing Story Inspires Discussion of Its Safety

by Stephen Bilkis

Giving birth at home can be very empowering and calming. The pain is the same – arguably more so with no painkillers. But being in familiar surroundings and without the extra nuisance of machines beeping and measuring, some women still feel the urge to push at home.

One mother, a week before her delivery, said this about her impending delivery: “We’re not hippies, but I’m pregnant, not sick, so why should I go into a hospital? Why go into an unfamiliar, clinical setting where you don’t get continuity of care and are at risk of all sorts of other things like MRSA and swine flu? The best thing is that, after a home birth, I can shower in my own bathroom and then get into my own bed with my new baby,” she added.

There are many medical experts who maintain that home births are dangerous and irresponsible. Some go so far as to equate the practice with child abuse. This anti-home birth party is growing in numbers and venom – so much so that the numbers of women choosing homebirths has dropped to below 10% in most every industrialized nation in the world.

Published on: July 29, 2011

$21 Million Birth Injury Lawsuit Award

by Stephen Bilkis

The Pennsylvania medical center that allegedly caused a severe birth injury to a little boy has been forced to pay a $21 million compensation package to the boy and his mother. The boy developed cerebral palsy as a direct result of the doctor’s mismanagement of his birthing process.

As a lifelong condition, the lawsuit money will provide for quality care throughout the boy’s life. In Manhattan and Nassau County, hospitals and doctors must have insurance for these kinds of tragedies.

In the lawsuit, the boy’s mother alleged that the Erie, Pennsylvania, Hamot Medical Center’s doctors acted improperly during the birth of her son in November of 2006. While in the hospital and ready to give birth, the mother and son’s vital signs were not properly monitored by the nursing staff on hand. According to a New York Birth Injury Attorney, the boy then suffered lack of oxygen and shifted into the breach position. The new position of the fetus forced the doctor and midwife to perform an emergency C-section.

Published on: July 15, 2011

Abbott-Laboratories Under Investigation For Off-Label Marketing

by Stephen Bilkis

A New York Birth Injury Lawyer has reported that the Wall Street Journal is investigating a federal probe into Abbott-Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company, for their marketing and sales tactics in the drug Depakote. Doctors and hospitals in New York City and Nassau County have been notified about the problems in the offing concerning this drug.

Depakote Birth Injury Resources (DBIR) is also evaluating Abbott-Laboratories for possible lawsuits related to birth defects and birth injuries that may be related to mothers who took Depakote during pregnancy. Depakote, currently the most popular prescription drug on the market for treating both epilepsy and bipolar disorder, is estimated to have been used by over 2 million people since its release on the market in 1983.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Depakote to treat seizure disorders, acute manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder and to prevent migraine headaches. The current investigation centers on the off-label marketing of the drug. A New York Brain Injury Lawyer has stated that in addition to the off-label marketing, federal investigators are looking into whether or not the company violated Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement policies.

Published on: June 11, 2011

Large Babies at Risk for Birth Injury

by Stephen Bilkis

Every year thousands of babies are injured or killed from a specific birth complication called shoulder dystocia. A NYC Birth Injury Lawyer wants to know why more doctors and midwives aren’t informing their patients about who is at risk. The Director of Medical Education and Perinatal Outreach at Allegheny General Hospital said a shoulder dystocia birth is when the baby’s shoulders get stuck in the mother’s pelvic opening.

A prominent gynecologist from Allentown in Lehigh County has studied shoulder dystocia and believes these upsetting and avoidable complications are becoming more common. He attributes this phenomenon partly to women who are delivering larger babies, and partly to insurance companies who are trying to reduce the rate of more expensive Caesarean births.

This particular complication cannot be diagnosed until just prior to a baby’s birth. In most cases, even, a labor has progressed normally up until the baby’s head appears. When the head then retracts between contractions and maternal pushes, the birth becomes an emergency. The newborn’s life is in danger, and there are only five to six minutes to get the baby out. Nassau and New York City Hospitals are forced to deal with these problems on many situations.