Hypoxia and Birth Asphyxia

The two major categories of injuries that an infant can receive during the birth process are injuries from trauma and injuries from lack of oxygen to the brain. A lack of oxygen to the brain is known as asphyxia or hypoxia. Depending on the severity of birth asphyxia, the results can be minor to catastrophic.

It is imperative that birth asphyxia be detected and treated immediately during the birth process. Medical staff can monitor the condition of an infant through the use of a fetal heart rate monitor. If something is causing the baby to not receive an adequate supply of oxygen and blood flow, the fetal heart rate monitor can help the doctors and nurses detect this problem. A baby suffering from asphyxia must be treated immediately, and this may require the use of a cesarean section. Time is of the essence and taking too long to perform the C-section may result in permanent injuries to the baby, including injuries to the brain, lung, kidneys, or heart. Hypoxia not treated in time could even lead to severe and permanent paralysis, including cerebral palsy. Although most hospitals can perform a cesarean section within 30 minutes, the baby may need to be delivered much sooner, perhaps even under 15 minutes to prevent major brain injury.

Birth asphyxia symptoms:

Pressure on the umbilical cord
Weak breathing or no breathing from the infant
Bluish or pale skin color
Low heart rate
Low blood pressure from the mother
Too much acid in the blood
The infant is experiencing seizures

Some causes of birth asphyxia:

Very long or complicated birth process
Compression or prolapse of the umbilical cord during labor or delivery
Rupture of the uterus
Insufficient oxygen in the mother's blood during the birth process
The infant has anemia
Blood pressure in the mother that is either too high or too low
Infant's airway is blocked

The incidence of these types of problems occurs in less than 5% of births and doctors and nurses are trained to recognize symptoms of birth asphyxia. However, sometimes negligence occurs and the medical staff does not recognize the symptoms or act in a timely fashion to resolve these problems before they become critical. There are also incidences whereby doctors should use a C-section for an emergency delivery, but they fail to do so, thereby causing serious injuries to the baby. If you believe your baby suffered serious injuries due to the negligence of a doctor, nurse, or medical staff, you may have a case for medical negligence or medical malpractice. Contact a medical malpractice attorney like Dr. Bruce G. Fagel immediately for a free consultation. Dr. Fagel is both a leading child attorney, specializing in birth injuries, and a licensed medical doctor. So he understands exactly how the birth process should occur and where medical negligence or medical malpractice happened in a birth injury.