Brachial Plexus Injuries Due to Albany Medical Malpractice

Arm Nerve Injuries to Babies: Understanding Brachial Plexus Injuries Due to Albany Medical Malpractice

Our babies are precious.  They are also vulnerable.  They are vulnerable to a range of injuries and conditions, and can easily be irreparably harmed.  Unfortunately, sometimes these injuries are due to a healthcare provider’s careless, reckless, and downright negligent mistakes or errors.  The people we initially trust the most with our baby to provide healthcare, is the one that can cause very serious and deadly injuries.  One common type of injury are arm nerve injuries to babies, also known as brachial plexus injuries.  When this occurs, it could be Albany medical malpractice.

What is a Brachial Plexus Injury?  Arm Nerve Injuries to Babies

Your body has two sets of nervous systems.  The central nerves system which is the brain and spinal cord, and is the superhighway for messages.  The peripheral nervous system is the larger nervous system which comes out of the spinal cord and extends to every part of your body to the tips of your toes and fingers.  

In the arm, the peripheral nervous system originates out of the area of the spinal cord in the neck, or cervical spine.  These nerves extend from the neck vertebrae to your finger tips.  They branch off of those vertebrae and combine in an area between the base of the neck to the shoulder.  This large bundle of nerves is known as the brachial plexus.  This bundle is what separates and combines then separate and recombines as these nerves go down your arm.  In general, the form three main nerve groups of the ulcer nerves, median nerves, and radial nerves.  

When the brachial plexus nerves are injured during childbirth, it can result in permanent injuries to the nerves in the entire arm all the way down to the fingertips.  This can mean motor and sensory deprivations.

How are a Baby’s Arm Nerves Injured Due to Albany Medical Malpractice?

A baby may suffer a brachial plexus injury during the labor and delivery process.  This can be naturally due to the position of the shoulders in the womb as it comes down the stations and into the birthing canal.  But it could also, and is most likely, due to healthcare providers pulling or yanking on a baby’s arm or shoulder during the birthing process.  

You see, these nerves out of the cervical spine (neck) are vulnerable to being pulled or stretched.  If a doctor pulls on a baby’s arm too hard or too much to help direct or perform the birthing process, it can actually damage the brachial plexus nerves.  It can result in these nerves being permanently injured and a baby having some sensory loss or motor function loss.  In severe cases, the injury can be permanent.

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.