Most people think of brain damage during birth as happening at that instance. That is not always the case.
“Generally speaking, brain damage may happen in a number of ways, but it’s mostly any kind of injury to the integrity of the brain (structure) that interrupts/disrupts its normal function or development. What many people don’t realize is that brain damage may happen after birth (traumatic brain injury, non-traumatic brain injury or acquired brain injury) or it may also happen before birth in the form of congenital brain injuries,” outlined Christopher Mellino, a Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer of the Mellino Law Firm LLC, in Ohio.
Brain damage can occur in a variety of ways, but is considered to be any type of injury to the structure of the brain that disrupts or prevents normal brain function or healthy brain development. Brain damage may occur after birth (acquired, non-traumatic or traumatic brain injuries) or before birth (congenital brain injuries). “But in the final analysis, most brain damage that does happen after birth is the result of an injury of one sort or another. In reality, many of these traumas are caused by someone’s negligence,” observed Mellino.
Brain trauma injuries that happen before or during the birth process may also be caused by someone’s negligence; a physician or another medical professional making a mistake and causing an injury, or making an injury worse. “If this is something that happened to you, you need to talk to a skilled medical malpractice attorney and find out what your legal rights are and ask for help to claim compensation,” Mellino added.
Knowing the different categories of brain injury will help you understand how they occur. Congenital brain injuries may be the result of trauma, hypoxia, anoxia, infection, a genetic defect or poisoning. “The forms these injuries manifest may be cerebral palsy, dyslexia, fetal alcohol syndrome or Down’s syndrome. Since many of you may have heard about cerebral palsy, you might want to know that it’s been linked to premature birth, birth trauma, infection or a poor blood/oxygen supply as the baby develops,” commented Mellino.
Down’s syndrome usually appears in babies born to mothers over the age of 40, although this is not a hard and fast rule. The extra chromosome present may cause heart and gastrointestinal issues as well as mental retardation. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is unfortunately, an incurable brain disorder, the result of a mother drinking while pregnant. Most FAS babies and adults have behavior problems and central nervous system difficulties. “And the list goes on. Giving birth is certainly not without its hazards, although in most cases things go well. It’s when they don’t that you want to talk to a Cleveland medical malpractice attorney to find out where you stand,” advised Mellino.
To learn more, visit http://www.christophermellino.com.
