How TBIs Occur Due to New York Medical Malpractice

Understanding TBIs Caused by New York Medical Malpractice: What, How, and Why They Occur

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is an injury to the brain which results in a disruption of normal functions.  This could be temporary or permanent, and mild or severe.  New York medical malpractice can cause a TBI.  There are actually many ways that New York medical malpractice could result in a TBI, most of these ways are completely preventable and result in unnecessary pain and suffering.  Although a TBI could be caused by natural consequences of medical treatment, an injury, a disease, or other condition, most times a TBI is caused by severe reckless, careless, or grossly negligent conduct by a healthcare professional.

There are many ways in which a TBI could be caused by New York medical malpractice.  These include the following:

Birth injuries – A very common way that a TBI is caused by to medical negligence is by and through a birth injury.  This could be due to a hypoxic injury which could be caused by umbilical cord compression or rupture, excessive contractions, or choking/strangling on the umbilical cord, or or birth injuries could be caused by trauma such as excessive force during extraction, being dropped, or other improper manipulation.  Birth injuries could also be caused by improper use of drugs or medications during the birthing process, including pitcin or pain management drugs to the mother which could effect the baby.

Anesthesia errors – Anesthesia is a concoction of three drugs used to block pain, paralysis, and render a patient unconscious.  Any miscalculation in the time or dosage of any of these drugs given, or any miscalculation of the patient’s weight or co-morbidities before providing these drugs, could cause serious personal injury especially to a patient’s brain.  This is because of the hypoxic nature of the drugs and the way they react with the central nervous system, including the brain, which can disrupt how oxygen is carried in the blood stream.  Excessive anesthesia could also result in brain bleeds, which cause further damage to the brain.

Hospital drops/fall risk – When a patient falls at a hospital it could be premises liability or New York medical malpractice.  If the fall occurs during a hospital transfer or with the assistance of medical staff, or if the patient is designated as a fall risk and subsequently falls due to inadequate protocols to protect that patient, it is likely that the claim would be medical malpractice.  This is as opposed to tripped on a stair, slipping on liquid on the floor, or falling into a crack on the floor.  However, these still could constitute medical malpractice if the patient was a fall risk.

Surgical errors – When a patient is improperly monitored during a surgery and there is an excessive drop in blood pressure due to excessive fluid loss, it could result in a TBI because there is a lack of oxygenated blood being provided to the brain.  This could cause parts of the brain to become damaged and die.  Surgical errors could also cause a TBI if the surgery is being performed on the head or brain and a surgeon makes a mistake like slipping with a knife, breaking off a tool, or drilling too deep.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of New York medical malpractice and sustained a TBI, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries including compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, future medical care, medical bills, lost earnings, and other expenses.  It is important to hold negligent doctors and hospitals liable for these mistakes.  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.