Three Reasons You May Have A Vacuum Extraction Birth Injury Case
Birth injuries are not very common, but they do happen and sometimes, it is the result of negligence by the medical practitioners. When this happens, you may have a birth injury claim on your hands. Injuries are a bit more common when certain birth practices are used as well, such as the vacuum extraction method. If your baby has suffered an injury after going through this birth method, here are three reasons you may have a birth injury case on your hands:
- Subgaleal Hemorrhage: The subgaleal is the space between the skull and the scalp and when you have subgaleal hemorrhaging here, it means there is excessive bleeding in this area. This can lead to blood loss that prevents the amount of blood needed to circulate in the brain and other organs. Eventually this could lead to hypovolemic shock. You can check for signs of this problem by checking to see if your baby is pale in appearance or has swelling around the skull.
- Intracranial Hemorrhage: This is when there is bleeding inside of the skull because of damage to the blood vessels that are found in the skull. Signs of this being the problem include seizures, apnea, or a bulging soft spot on the head.
- Cephalohematoma: This is when there is bleeding on the skull itself, which is bleeding right underneath the skin. This is usually because there was trauma induced when the vacuum extraction was taking place. The result of this is usually jaundice and sepsis. This type of injury can usually go away on it's own and does not cause long-term problems or life-threatening issues, however, it may be an indication of other hemorrhaging that hasn't been discovered yet.
The above are the most common injuries of a vacuum extraction birth and you may have a birth injury case on your hands if these are discovered. It's important to contact a birth injury lawyer to determine whether or not this is the case. There are many factors, however, that will determine whether or not these injuries are the result of negligence. First off, if the doctors are not trained in proper vacuum extraction techniques, then you have a case. You will also have a case if the vacuum extraction was not necessary, which would be that the mother or baby was not in any danger of suffering injury or possibly fatal injury if the vacuum extraction was not performed. Be sure to discuss this with your birth injury lawyer and they will be able to determine whether or not these things were the case.