Pittsburgh Birth Injury Lawyers

When a baby suffers a serious injury during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or shortly after birth, parents understandably want to know what happened and whether the injury could have been prevented.

Some birth injuries occur even when appropriate medical care is provided. Others may involve failures to recognize complications, respond to fetal distress, perform a timely delivery, or provide appropriate care to the mother or child.

Pisanchyn Law Firm represents families throughout Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Western Pennsylvania who have questions about whether medical negligence contributed to a child’s birth injury.

Was My Child’s Birth Injury Preventable?

A diagnosis or poor medical outcome does not by itself establish malpractice.

Determining whether an injury may have been preventable can require examining the medical care provided throughout pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn treatment.

Questions may include:

• Were signs of fetal distress recognized?
• Was fetal monitoring interpreted appropriately?
• Should a cesarean section have been performed?
• Was delivery delayed?
• Were maternal complications properly treated?
• Were medications administered appropriately?
• Was the baby properly monitored after birth?
• Were accepted standards of medical care followed?

Medical records and expert review can become essential to answering these questions.

Birth Injuries We Investigate

Potential birth injury cases may involve:

• Cerebral palsy
• Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
• Oxygen deprivation
• Brain injuries
• Brachial plexus injuries
• Erb’s palsy
• Shoulder dystocia injuries
• Nerve damage
• Seizure disorders
• Serious infections
• Permanent physical disabilities
• Developmental disabilities
• Maternal injuries associated with negligent care

The issue is not simply whether an injury occurred, but whether negligent medical care caused or contributed to it.

Fetal Distress and Delayed Delivery

Medical professionals monitor the mother and baby during labor for signs that complications may be developing.

When warning signs appear, timely intervention can become critical.

An investigation may examine fetal monitoring information, physician and nursing notes, medications, the timing of medical decisions, and how quickly the medical team responded when the baby’s condition changed.

Delayed Cesarean Sections

Emergency C-sections sometimes become necessary to protect the mother or baby.

The fact that a C-section occurred does not itself establish malpractice.

Questions may arise, however, when medical evidence suggests delivery should have occurred earlier and a delay may have contributed to oxygen deprivation or another serious injury.

Birth Injuries Can Create Lifetime Needs

A severe birth injury can affect a child and family for decades.

Depending upon the injury, future needs may include:

• Medical treatment
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech therapy
• Assistive equipment
• Mobility assistance
• Specialized education
• Home modifications
• Personal care
• Future surgeries

Evaluating a serious birth injury case therefore requires considering much more than the medical bills associated with the delivery itself.

Medical Records and Expert Review

Birth injury investigations can involve prenatal records, fetal monitoring information, nursing notes, physician documentation, medications, laboratory results, delivery records, neonatal records, imaging, and subsequent medical treatment.

Qualified medical professionals may be needed to evaluate whether the care provided met accepted standards and whether different treatment would likely have changed the outcome.

Who May Be Responsible?

Depending upon what occurred, a birth injury claim may involve:

• Physicians
• Nurses
• Hospitals
• Medical practices
• Anesthesia providers
• Other healthcare professionals or organizations

Part of the investigation is determining where a breakdown in care may have occurred.

Pittsburgh Birth Injury Attorneys

Pisanchyn Law Firm represents children and families throughout Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Western Pennsylvania.

Pisanchyn Law Firm
241 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-261-1212

Talk to a Pittsburgh Birth Injury Lawyer

You don’t need to determine whether malpractice occurred before contacting us.

If your child suffered a serious injury during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or newborn care, Pisanchyn Law Firm can review the circumstances and determine whether further investigation may be appropriate.

Call 412-261-1212 or 1-800-444-5309 for a free, confidential consultation.

For birth injury matters accepted on a contingency-fee basis, there is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.