Newborn seizures or neonatal seizures are a neurological condition that affects babies after birth. Neonatal seizures are a result of sudden and excessive electrical in the brain causing the baby to stiffen their muscles or perform involuntary movements. Although neonatal seizures can occur in the absence of medical error, medical malpractice can cause a baby to experience neonatal seizures. If neonatal seizures are not properly treated, they can lead to long-term damage. This article will (1) explain the causes of neonatal seizures, (2) explain the treatment and effects of neonatal seizures, and (3) provide insight on what to do if your child is suffering neonatal seizures as a result of a medical error.
What are the causes of neonatal seizures?
Neonatal seizures can be classified into three groups:
- Symptomatic, which means they have an underlying cause;
- Cryptogenic, which means that their cause cannot be identified; or
- Genetic, which means that the condition was inherited.
This article focuses on neonatal seizures that are symptomatic of an underlying problem that medical professionals may or may not have identified and treated.
Here are some of the underlying causes that can lead to neonatal seizures:
- Lack of oxygen before or during birth;
- Infection acquired before or after birth;
- Neonatal stroke before or after birth;
- A blood clot in the brain;
- Bleeding in the brain; and
- Drug withdrawal may occur when babies are born to mothers addicted to alcohol, methadone, etc.
It can often be difficult to identify whether a baby is, in fact, having a seizure. Features that are indicative of a newborn seizure include repetitive facial movements, unusual bicycling or pedal movements, excessive staring, difficulty breathing, stiffing and tightening of muscles, and abrupt jerking movements.
Babies may make repeated facial expressions or perform pedal movements even if they are not having a seizure. It is important to consult a health professional to confirm that an infant is experiencing neonatal seizures.
What is the treatment of neonatal seizures?
It is critical that neonatal seizures are identified quickly and treated effectively to prevent long-term damage. Anticonvulsant medications can be prescribed to control seizures. The infant should be closely monitored while these medications are being administered.
If the seizure was caused by lack of oxygen before or during birth then additional steps often need to be taken. The baby may receive hyperthermic treatment, which decreases the temperature of the baby’s brain after birth. If hyperthermic treatment is performed correctly, and the temperature of the brain is closely monitored throughout treatment, it can reduce brain damage.
If the physicians or nursing staff involved in your care failed to properly identify and treat neonatal seizures, document the failures that you observed. Your notes will benefit medical malpractice lawyers if a legal claim is brought in the future against the medical professionals involved in your care.
What to Do if Medical Malpractice Caused Neonatal Seizures?
Recall that neonatal seizures can result from underlying causes. In addition to assessing whether medical professionals failed to treat neonatal seizures, a lawyer can help you assess whether the failure of medical professionals led to the development of neonatal seizures.
How can medical malpractice cause neonatal seizures? There are a number of ways that the negligence of doctors can lead to neonatal seizures:
Failure to Properly Treat an Infection
Perhaps the mother had a treatable infection, such as bacterial meningitis, which was not treated properly. Medical professionals may have failed to identify the infection or they have identified it correctly but failed to treat it with appropriate urgency. If, after these failures, the infant suffers long-term damages from neonatal seizures, the physicians or nurses involved in the mother’s care may be liable for the harm to the infant.
Failure to Properly Treat a Neonatal Stroke
If there are signs that an unborn fetus may suffer a neonatal stroke, medical professionals can perform treatments, such as a blood transfusion, to decrease the risk that the neonatal stroke will occur.
If the infant had a stroke before birth, it can sometimes be identified through monitoring methods, such as an ultrasound. After birth, the infant can be treated by neonatal stroke, medical professionals can administer hypothermic or hyperbaric treatment to mitigate the harm of the stroke. If the medical professionals involved in care failed to identify and properly treat neonatal stroke leading to seizures and other harms, they may be liable.
Adequately Address the Lack of Oxygen
Birth asphyxia, which occurs when the infant has a lack of oxygen, can cause infant seizures. Birth asphyxia can itself be caused by a range of complications: the mother’s placenta could be misplaced, the umbilical cord may have wrapped around the fetus’ neck, etc. An oxygen shortage can be identified by proper testing and monitoring. After it is identified, medical professionals may need to act with urgency to expedite delivery or perform an emergency cesarean section. If the medical professionals involved in your care fail to identify or properly treat birth asphyxia leading to seizures and other harms, they may be liable for not providing care based around you.
Contact A Newborn Seizures Lawyer
If you feel that an infant has suffered seizures as a result of the negligence of medical professionals, contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer. The lawyers at BIMMA have the knowledge and experience to advance a medical malpractice claim. We are available for a free consultation and will dedicate the time to understand the case and provide our honest opinion about the merits of the case. Contact us today at +1-902-425-7330 or toll-free at +1-800-465-8794.
