According to a reputable medical study, each year one in 1,900 infants delivered vaginally sustains a brain injury, as does one in 2,750 delivered via cesarean section. The risk is even greater for babies who experience difficult deliveries that involve the use of delivery tools. Roughly one in 664 babies delivered using medical forceps suffers a brain injury, as does one in 860 infants delivered using vacuum extraction.
Dangers of Forceps and Vacuum Extractors
Forceps and vacuum extractors are considered safe when appropriately used, but all too often physicians act negligently — harming infants who up to that point were considered healthy.
Forceps
Forceps, which are large tweezers used to turn the baby into the appropriate direction for birth, may be used on the wrong side of the baby’s head or at the wrong stage of labor, causing:
- Severe brain damage
- Bruising
- Indentations
- Blood loss
- Cephalohematoma
Cephalohematoma, which is bleeding between a bone and its covering, typically surfaces on infants’ heads and can cause jaundice if particularly large.
Vacuum extractors
Vacuum extractors, which attach a soft plastic cap to the baby’s head, essentially suction the baby out when the mother has a contraction. Vacuum extractors can cause a myriad of problems as well, including:
- Lacerations
- Blood clots
- Surface bruising
- Bruising under the scalp or skull
- Caput Succedaneum (Severe swelling of the scalp)
All of these injuries can lead to permanent brain damage, developmental delays, seizures, and sometimes death.
Contact an Experienced Attorney
The experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff understand that birth injury and birth trauma cases can be complex and demanding. Our attorneys have recovered millions of dollars in damages for injured children and their families who have been the victims of careless doctors and medical staffs.
Our years of experience and our well-trained paralegals and administrative staff give us the advantage, even under the most difficult circumstances. We care about our clients and treat the injured children and their families with genuine concern, because we understand the devastating effects birth injuries can have on them.
If you believe your child has suffered a brain injury as a result of a physician’s negligence or error when using either forceps or vacuum extractors, please fill out and submit the contact form on this page for a free and confidential case evaluation, or call us toll-free at (888) 285-3333.