What is Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy?
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) is a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain, often seen in newborns during birth. It can lead to permanent brain damage and intellectual/developmental disabilities.
HIE is just one of many types of birth injuries that can lead to a medical malpractice case if there was a failure in the standard of care from your doctor or healthcare provider. Other birth injuries include:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Erb’s Palsy
- Shoulder Dystocia
- Fractured bones
- Misdiagnosis of fetal distress
- Delayed C-section
- Improper use of instruments during delivery
- Failure to monitor and respond to fetal distress
- Neglect of prenatal care
It’s important to note that not all birth injuries result from medical malpractice and to establish a case, there must be evidence that a healthcare provider breached the standard of care and caused harm as a result.
To determine if there is a medical malpractice case related to your child’s HIE diagnosis, you would need to demonstrate that a healthcare provider failed to provide the appropriate standard of care and that this failure directly caused or significantly contributed to the development of the condition. Consulting with an experienced medical malpractice attorney would be the best way to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a potential case.
