Birth injuries are devastating. When you are pregnant and expecting to bring a healthy infant into your home, the realization that your healthcare provider made an error that could have life-long consequences can be difficult to accept. It is important to remember that many birth injuries do not result in permanent disabilities, and you may be eligible to seek financial compensation to help cover medical costs. Researchers are also making strides when it comes to birth injury recovery.
According to a recent press release from Stanford Children’s Health and the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, researchers at Stanford University “have improved the technology used to diagnose a common form of birth injury in newborns.” With better and earlier diagnosis, brain injuries could be less severe in the long run.
Brain Bleeds and Birth Injuries
Before I discuss the new research and technology improvements to diagnose brain bleeds, I want to tell you more about brain bleeds as birth injuries. Brain bleeds are intraventricular hemorrhages (IVHs), according to Medline Plus. These types of injuries occur when there “is bleeding into the fluid-filled areas inside the brain.” Brain bleeds are particularly common in premature infants, but they can also occur in full-term babies. Brain bleeds are “graded” in terms of their severity, with Grade 1 and Grade 2 brain bleeds being less severe than Grade 3 and Grade 4 brain bleeds.
New Study Improves Brain Bleed Diagnostic Technology
According to the Stanford press release, researchers are now better able to diagnose brain bleeds that result in mini-strokes in infants. These events, which typically result from “breaks in tiny blood vessels,” usually occur during birth or immediately after. Doctors largely have used ultrasound scans to identify brain bleeds, but those ultrasounds have not provided sufficient information for treating infant brain bleeds and helping to manage outcomes.
New research improves on this ultrasound technology, giving physicians “a real-time window into brain function.” It will allow doctors to “create detailed maps of normal brain activity in healthy babies,” and to use those maps “as a baseline for evaluating the functional impact of small strokes.” And the good news is that current ultrasound machines can be retooled to provide this critical information. The better and quicker that brain bleeds and mini-strokes are identified in infants, the better the treatment and long-term outcomes can be.
Contact Me for More Information About Filing a Claim
New parents should never have to worry about the risks of a birth injury when they are expecting a new baby, yet birth injuries can result in life-long disabilities and even death. While not all birth injuries are the result of a healthcare provider’s negligence, it is critical to have an experienced birth injury lawyer assess your case. As a dedicated birth injury attorney who has been working with injury victims for years, I can evaluate your case today and can discuss your options for filing a claim. If a healthcare provider’s negligence caused your baby’s birth injury, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Do not hesitate to get in touch with me at 877.944.4373.
