Birth Asphyxia Leading to Severe Brain Damage or Infant Death

The birth of a child should be one of the most joyful moments in a family’s life. When medical mistakes occur during labor and delivery, however, the consequences can be devastating. Birth complications caused by negligence can leave a child with permanent brain damage or tragically result in infant death.

One of the most serious labor and delivery emergencies is birth asphyxia, a condition caused by oxygen deprivation before, during, or immediately after birth. When doctors, nurses, or hospital staff fail to recognize warning signs or respond quickly to a medical emergency, families may have grounds to pursue a claim with the help of a Phoenix medical malpractice lawyer.

Understanding how birth asphyxia occurs and when medical providers may be responsible can help families determine whether preventable negligence contributed to a child’s injury.

What Is Birth Asphyxia?

Birth asphyxia occurs due to a disruption of the oxygen flow to an infant’s brain at any point during the labor and delivery process or immediately after birth. Cell death occurs rapidly when the brain and body are starved of oxygen from restricted blood flow or respiration. During the labor and delivery process, this most often occurs due to the following:

• Umbilical cord problems, such as cord prolapse, cord compression, nuchal cord (cord wrapped around the infant’s neck), short cords, and umbilical knots
• Placental abruption, or the separation of the placenta from the uterine wall
• Placenta previa, or a misplaced placenta positioned in front of the cervix
• Extreme hypotension or low maternal blood pressure
• Maternal hemorrhaging
• Uterine rupture

Asphyxia may occur after birth due to an obstructed airway, such as from meconium aspiration, or due to respiratory failure.

When an infant is deprived of oxygen, cell death occurs rapidly, with the most profound impacts on the delicate brain cells. Without rapid emergency intervention, the result of birth asphyxia is brain damage. Depending on the severity of the damage, the impact could be serious impairment, vegetative state, or death.

What Is a Medical Provider’s Duty of Care During Labor and Delivery?

All medical providers are held to a high standard of care. Their duty requires them to treat a patient at the standard of care that’s accepted by the medical community, or the way another reasonable medical professional would provide care under the same circumstances. During labor and delivery, the doctor and medical staff must do the following:

• The doctor, midwife, or other provider must carefully assess a laboring mother’s risk factors to minimize the risk of birth injuries
• The doctor must treat the laboring mother with appropriate care throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery
• The hospital or medical facility staff must carefully monitor both mother and infant during labor and promptly alert the doctor to changes in medical status
• The doctor or other medical provider must swiftly diagnose a medical emergency, including birth asphyxia, and provide immediate, appropriate emergency care

When a provider breaches this duty of care, and the result is serious harm to a patient, they are liable for the patient’s damages, or damages suffered by the family of a patient who died from the doctor’s violation of their legal duty of care.

What Is a Birth Injury Lawsuit for Severe Brain Damage or Infant Death Due to Birth Asphyxia?

Birth injuries are medical malpractice. A serious birth injury like severe brain damage can mean diminished quality of life for the child, and lifelong medical care or shortened life expectancy. In these cases, the birth-injured child’s parents may file a birth injury lawsuit against the medical provider or facility for violating their duty of care. 

A successful claim recovers compensation for damages, such as past and future medical and educational expenses for the child, lost income for the parents, and catastrophic injury compensation for the child’s diminished quality of life. If birth asphyxia causes a child’s death, their grieving parents may seek compensation for their losses and emotional anguish through a birth injury wrongful death claim.