Brachial Plexus Injuries And New York Medical Malpractice: What They Are And How They Occur

New York birth injuries are a horrible type of New York medical malpractice. A baby is just coming into this world and suffers an injury which can affect his or her entire life. It can also result in serious pain and suffering right after being born. It is simply unfair and many times can be completely avoided.

One common type of birth injury is a brachial plexus injury. The brachial plexus is a complex network of nerves that originate in your spinal cord, go through grooves in your vertebrae, and go through your shoulder, arm, and into your hand. The nerves come off each vertebrae individually and combine and separate several times as they travel from your spine through your shoulder to your fingers. The first main combine is in the area between your neck and your shoulder.

When the brachial plexus or any of the other nerves that branch off of it get stretched or pulled, there can be injuries to the brachial plexus. These injuries could be complete avulsions, meaning the nerve has been completely pulled from the spinal cord, or they can be a small neuroma, which is a tumor that will likely heal itself. There is a varying severity between those two types of injuries such as partial tears.

There are several reasons why a baby may have a brachial plexus injury. The most common is where the labor and delivery team attempt to pull the baby out too forcibly by the arm. This can stretch the nerves in the baby’s arm and cause brachial plexus injuries. These injuries can almost always be prevented, unless there is an emergency situation and the baby must be pulled out immediately to prevent serious harm. However, an emergency situation should also be treated and can be accurately predicted by proper pre-natal monitoring.

Another common cause is where the baby is mis-positioned in the womb and his or her arm gets caught in an awkward position during the birthing process. This can put pressure on the baby’s arm and cause tearing injuries to the nerves. Again, this is something that can be prevented by properly monitoring the baby, the position of the baby in the birth canal, and how the baby is presenting itself.

When a healthcare provider causes a brachial plexus injury to a baby, it is a very serious birth injury and the healthcare provider can be liable and SHOULD be liable for the medical malpractice.

But what do you think? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com. You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.