Hypoxic Brain Injury (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy)

        A hypoxic brain injury is a devastating permanent injury suffered by a baby during the labor and delivery process.  When this happens, a baby can be given a diagnosis of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, also known as HIE.  Sometimes HIE is preventable.  Although babies in utero usually can tolerate fetal stress for some period of time, if the fetal stress occurs too long, the baby can develop fetal distress and begin to lose his or her oxygen supply to the brain.  With appropriate electronic fetal monitoring by nurses and obstetricians trained to interpret electronic fetal heart monitor strips, medical interventions, including cesarean sections, can be performed to prevent hypoxic injuries.  When a hypoxic brain injury occurs, depending on the severity, a baby can exhibit a range of symptoms.  Some babies will require immediate resuscitation and intubation, and then will be transferred to a NICU in a tertiary hospital.  Other babies may not be diagnosed until sometime after birth when symptoms begin to present, such as seizures.   Brain scans will help to identify the part of the brain that suffered the injury.  Oftentimes, babies who suffer HIE will be given a diagnosis of cerebral palsy.  If the HIE is too severe, it can result in a stillbirth delivery or death shortly after delivery.  If your baby has suffered from a hypoxic injury, the Hammer Legal Team will investigate your circumstances very carefully to determine if the injury and/or death was preventable.  A healthy pregnancy should result in a healthy baby.

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