Infants develop hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) if they receive insufficient oxygen and blood flow during childbirth and delivery. HIE can lead to lifelong health problems and disorders, impacting your child and your family.
You could secure help getting compensation for your family if a medical professional caused your child to develop HIE. Find out how with a Nevada hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy lawyer from our team at the Birth Injury Lawyers Group.
For a free legal consultation, call 1-800-222-9529
What Services Do Nevada HIE Lawyers Offer?
Nevada hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy lawyers focus on helping your family after doctors diagnose your child with HIE or a related condition. Your lawyer can step in to:
- Answer your questions about this condition
- Provide you with options to seek compensation
- Investigate the causes of the condition
- Gather evidence to build a claim
- Track all the losses associated with the injury
We focus on building a medical malpractice claim for families in your situation, working to show that a medical professional made mistakes when providing care for your child. And we can begin handling your claim immediately.
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Can Your Family Get Compensation After an HIE Diagnosis?
Has your child been diagnosed with HIE or a similar condition? In this situation, a lawyer can step in to help you secure compensation for the economic losses associated with treatment. We can help you with financial recovery designed to cover your:
- Medical expenses
- Costs for counseling and therapy
- Mental anguish, pain, and suffering
- Lost wages or lost earning potential
You may also receive compensation to cover mobility devices (like wheelchairs) for your child’s usage. In some cases, you could receive compensation to pay for your child’s special education needs as they grow up.
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How Much Compensation Can You Get for Your Family?
Your hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy attorney in Nevada cannot provide you with an exact quote for compensation for your family. Insurance companies and the court system provide different amounts of compensation based on:
- The kinds of treatment required to care for your child
- The pain and anguish experienced by your family
- The actions taken by the medical professional to cause the injury
Our team focuses on reviewing all the losses you’ve faced. We look at medical records and work with the experts to fully develop a claim for your family. We also answer any questions you have about the process as we work to help you.
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When Should You Contact a Nevada HIE Lawyer?
Doctors typically diagnose HIE quickly after childbirth. However, they may take longer to make a diagnosis in some cases. The professionals recommend that you get in contact with an HIE lawyer in Nevada immediately after receiving a diagnosis.
A lawyer can go over all your legal options and support you during conversations with legal professionals and insurance agents.
How Long Do You Have to Seek Compensation for Your Family?
The state of Nevada has a statute of limitations for medical malpractice cases. However, if you wait too long to seek financial compensation, the statute can expire, preventing you from moving forward with your case.
Our team tracks all the critical deadlines on your behalf. We make sure to file all paperwork in a timely fashion, allowing you to move forward with your claim.
Our team handles all aspects of your HIE claim, allowing you to focus on caring for your family and your child.
Does HIE Come from Medical Malpractice in Nevada?
Medical professionals engage in malpractice when they fail to provide their patients with a reasonable standard of care. Some HIE cases come from acts of malpractice. In this situation, you could see compensation from the medical professional who failed to provide proper care for your child.
Individuals who could hold responsibility for your child’s condition include:
- Obstetricians or midwives who deliver the baby
- Nurses assisting with the delivery
- Nurse practitioners present during childbirth
In some cases, these individuals carry the financial burden of compensating your family directly. In other cases, Nevada hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy attorneys may help you file a claim with the medical facility where the delivery occurred.
How Negligence Applies in Nevada HIE Cases
Lawyers must establish negligence to help your family secure compensation after a birth injury. Lawyers show negligence in medical malpractice cases by looking into the actions of the medical professionals who provided you with treatment.
They focus on determining if the doctor acted in a reasonable manner while providing care or if they made a mistake. Our team works with medical experts to assess whether a doctor:
- Waited too long to order a C-section
- Failed to respond to dangerous readings for the child
- Missed a seizure or indications of a brain injury
- Improperly treated a wrapped cord or umbilical cord prolapse
The above list contains just a few examples of actions that could result in your child experiencing HIE in Nevada. Reach out to us so that we can look into the facts surrounding your delivery and childbirth experience.
In some situations, we may find that the hospital has a record of similar accidents and injuries. Contact us today to learn more.
What Causes HIE in Nevada?
Many parents wonder what happens after their child receives an HIE diagnosis. In truth, many different health issues can result in low blood flow and poor oxygen levels during childbirth. Some individuals have a higher risk of HIE than others.For example, medical professionals report more instances of HIE from parents:
- Who previously had a c-section
- With high blood pressure
- Who used alcohol or drugs
Problems with the umbilical cord or placental, including placental previa, can also lead to HIE. Doctors also attribute the condition to:
- Fetal-maternal hemorrhaging
- Uterine ruptures
- Blood clotting disorders
Finally, sometimes post-birth complications can lead to HIE development. Meconium aspiration, infections, and breathing issues have all been connected to HIE by members of the medical professional.
Your Nevada hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy lawyer can focus on the specific issues associated with your childbirth and delivery. We focus on providing personalized care to all our clients.
Can Doctors Cure Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy?
Doctors cannot currently reverse the effects of HIE. However, they can mitigate the severity of the condition if they provide proper medical care within the first 24 hours of the event that deprived your child of oxygen.
Doctors frequently use a treatment called therapeutic hypothermia to counter some of the effects of HIE. However, if a medical professional waited to administer therapeutic hypothermia, worsening your child’s condition, you might want to speak with a lawyer about your legal options.
How Does Therapeutic Hypothermia Work?
Therapeutic hypothermia (also called neonatal cooling or cooling therapy) helps improve the odds of your child avoiding severe brain damage associated with HIE.
Doctors handle this treatment by placing a cooling cap on your child’s head. Some doctors use a device designed to cool your child’s entire body. They carry out the treatment for three days before gradually increasing your child’s body temperature.
However, doctors cannot perform this treatment for all children. They look at your child’s gestational age and weight before deciding on using the therapy or not.
Other Treatments for Children With HIE
Doctors may also prescribe blood or plasma transfusions for children who experience limited blood flow or oxygen during delivery. Doctors prescribe medications in some situations and may place your child on a ventilator to help them breathe.
What Symptoms Do Doctors Look for With HIE in Nevada?
In order to provide proper medical care, doctors need to identify signs of HIE quickly in infants. Medical professionals look for several symptoms, including:
- Lack of response to sights or sounds
- Floppiness
- Unusual tenseness
- Abnormal movements
- Seizures
- A weak cry
- Weak throat or mouth movements
Signs of organ dysfunction may also indicate HIE. Doctors should check the functions of your child’s liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart in some situations. Note that doctors who ignore warning signs of HIE may wait too long to provide treatment for your child, leading to more severe symptoms.
If a doctor waited too long to diagnose your child’s condition, you might want to reach out to a hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy lawyer in Nevada for assistance in building a claim.
Is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy a Traumatic Brain Injury?
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur due to trauma to the skull or brain. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy represents a kind of brain injury, but typically not one caused by a traumatic action or blunt force.
Instead, this brain injury comes from limited blood flow and low levels of oxygen. We can review the terms themselves for a better understanding of this condition:
- Hypoxic deals with a lack of oxygen
- Ischemic means an individual experienced limited blood flow
- Encephalopathy refers to brain cell damage
You may hear medical professionals call the condition birth (or perinatal) asphyxia. However, some doctors also use the term neonatal encephalopathy when discussing HIE.
Is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy a Disability?
HIE refers to a health condition that develops when children do not receive sufficient blood flow and oxygen during or following birth. The condition can lead to disabilities and other health conditions, including epilepsy and cerebral palsy.
The effects of HIE can last for the rest of your child’s life, requiring medical treatments, accommodations, and special kinds of therapy. These conditions can end up straining your finances.
Fortunately, a birth injury attorney can help your family seek compensation for your losses.
Speak to Us About Your Legal Options Following an HIE Diagnosis
A Nevada hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy attorney can support your family after a birth injury. You can reach out to our team at the Birth Injury Lawyers Group for help right away.
Contact us online or call us for a free discussion about your legal options.
Call or text 1-800-222-9529
or complete a Free Case Evaluation form