Can Birth Defects be the Result of Medical Malpractice?
When a baby is born with an injury or defect it can affect the child’s quality of life permanently. It is always heart-wrenching for the parents, family, and for everyone involved. Birth defects can have natural, genetic causes. They can be caused by poor choices during pregnancy, poor quality medicine, and contaminated or low-quality foods. They can also be caused by physician error and medical malpractice. When medical malpractice or negligence causes a child to be born with an injury or birth defect, you may have an opportunity to file a claim against the hospital or the doctor involved.
Get in touch with an Oklahoma City malpractice attorney to discover whether you may be entitled to receive monetary damages and read on to learn more about how attorneys Oklahoma City can help.
Injuries suffered by infants during birth are called birth injuries or birth trauma. Birth trauma can occur even if no medical errors are made. But birth injuries can also be caused by medical error or medical malpractice during delivery. Some birth defects can be caused by medications given during pregnancy in the weeks and months leading up to delivery. In many cases, birth defects caused by medical error or medical malpractice during pregnancy can be difficult to prove. In some cases, there are treatments known to cause birth defects. When a specific birth defect occurs, investigation can reveal whether or not a medical practitioner is at fault.
The OK Medical malpractice attorney team here at the Burton Law Group specializing in Oklahoma medical malpractice has helped many heartbroken parents discover the cause of birth injuries and birth defects. If you believe your newborn baby was injured due to medical malpractice OKC, you have a right to discover the truth. If your child is found to have been harmed by medical malpractice, your family deserves full and just compensation.
Determining the Cause of a Birth Injury or Birth Defect
All too often incidents of medical malpractice are passed off as genetic or as unavoidable incidents due to scientific unknowns. While these are certainly the case on some occasions, it is also surely the case that medical error and malpractice do sometimes cause harm during pregnancy and birth.
According to the National Library of Medicine, medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States. While it might seem cynical, it is only logical that some of the number contributing to that statistic would qualify as malpractice if a full and complete investigation were conducted. If you believe your infant was harmed due to medical malpractice, an OKC medical malpractice attorney may be able to help.
The task of determining whether or not the hospital, doctor, or medical staff are at fault, an investigation will need to be conducted. Certain treatments, lack of treatments, specific actions, substances, and behavior are known to cause birth injury and birth defects. If it is found that a medical professional is at fault, medical malpractice lawyers OKC can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
Known Causes of Birth Defect & Trauma
While there are many actions a physician might take during pregnancy that can injure an unborn child, there are some which are all but certain to injure an unborn baby. Those actions include, but are not limited to:
- Prescribing medicine that is dangerous during pregnancy
- Failure to perform an ultrasound properly
- Failure to properly read an ultrasound
- The incorrect performance of diagnostic tests
- Failure to perform routine tests during pregnancy
- Ignoring the results of tests
- Failure to advise patients of the risks of a given treatment
Pregnant mothers and all patients have a right to fully understand and consent to treatment. They have a right to expect that procedures are performed in accordance with best practices with optimal results in mind for the baby and the mother. Certain types of medication are known to be dangerous to infants and mothers, and their prescription is an all but sure indication of malpractice.
Improperly performed ultrasounds, in particular, are a well-known cause of harm to unborn infants. These procedures must be done with the utmost care and in accordance with best practices. If a child has been harmed by an ultrasound, the cause may be diagnosed to support your case.
Determining whether medical malpractice is the cause of a birth defect or injury requires medical and legal help. Get in touch with the Burton Law Group to learn more.