About Cerebral Palsy
A Brief HistoryCerebral palsy apparently dates back to as long as there have been children. However doctors only seriously began investigating C.P. in 1861 when Dr. William John Little, an English surgeon, published a paper describing children with spastic diplegia - an illness that affected babies and which is characterized by stiff, spastic muscles in their arms and legs. These children were typically unable to crawl, walk and grasp objects. But their conditions were stable – they neither improved nor deteriorated with age.
In the late 1800's Sir William Osler, a British physician, coined the term cerebral palsy. Around the same time, Sigmund Freud conducted extensive research and published some of the earliest papers on the subject. Dr. Little had previously suggested that C.P. was caused by complications at birth and that it resulted from oxygen deprivation to the brain. He theorized that this lack of oxygen damaged the sensitive brain tissues, which controls movement. Freud disagreed. He pointed out that most C.P. children suffer from additional problems like seizures, mental retardation and visual disturbances. This led him to believe that C.P. might be caused during the brain's development in the womb, many months before birth.
Despite Freud's research, conventional wisdom among doctors and even medical researchers stated that birth complications accounted for most C.P. cases. Then in the 1980's, scientists reviewed a mass of data from a study of over 35,000 births. They found that while trauma at birth did cause of thousands of cerebral palsy cases, no single cause could be isolated in the majority of cases.
In the past twenty-five years, information on the causes of cerebral palsy has significantly increased. Modern medicine is studying cerebral palsy: to determine its causes and to determine the most effective ways of treating it.
Cerebral Palsy: What We Know Today
Cerebral palsy occurs when there is damage to the brain, either before, during or after birth resulting either from illness during pregnancy, premature delivery, or when not enough oxygen reaches the baby’s brain.
Incidents of insufficient oxygen or poor blood reaching the fetal or newborn brain can happen during labor which is either prolonged or if it is too rapid. It can also occur if the baby is situated an awkward birth position, or if there was a premature separation of the placenta, or if somehow there was interference with the umbilical cord.
Cerebral Palsy can also occur as a result of infection or illness. Thus for instance micro-organisms can attack the newborn's central nervous system, the mother can become infected with German measles or other viral diseases in early pregnancy. RH or A-B-O blood type incompatibility between the mother and baby as well as a premature birth – can result in a cerebral palsy baby.
When health care providers care for a pregnant woman and her fetus in a way which deviates from accepted medical standards as practiced in the community, and this treatment causes injury to the patient, this treatment can be considered medical malpractice, and the health care providers can be held responsible for the results of their actions. The following is a summary of common medical errors and misjudgments:
During Pregnancy:
Failing to respond to changes in the mother’s condition in a timely manner;
failing to carry out standard recommended tests;
misinterpreting the results of the tests;
During Labor:
Failing to respond to interpret and respond to changes in the fetus’s condition in a timely manner;
During Delivery:
failing to perform a c- section when fetal distress has been detected;
when the membranes have been ruptured for too long, failing to deliver the infant;
excessive use of vacuum extraction.
Given our extensive knowledge about fetal brain injuries and their relationship to cerebral palsy, an experienced medical/legal team like Gershon, Willoughby, Getz & Smith, LLC can determine the causes of your child’s disability. If the brain injury could have been prevented, you will want to consult and work with the finest professionals in helping you present your case. Indeed only an experienced professional can determine if your child’s cerebral palsy could have been prevented .
Seven Conditions which can cause Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is a disorder that can affect a baby at any time during the labor and birth process, or even after birth. Its primary symptoms include the inability to control motor function, specifically muscular coordination. It is a complex condition which can range from mild to severe. But the disorder is not progressive – it neither improves nor deteriorates with age.
Depending on which areas of the brain have been effected, one or more of the following will occur: the muscles become spastic (tight), the patient exhibits uncontrolled movement; there are noticeable disturbances in gait or mobility, there is difficulty in swallowing and speech impediments.
1. If there is a lack of oxygen to the brain resulting from the baby remaining in the birth canal for too long.
2. The deprivation of oxygen can result from an undetected prolapsed umbilical cord, which wraps around the baby’s neck.
3. A reduction of oxygen in the baby’s blood (hypoxia) can result from failing to perform a cesarean section in the event of fetal distress.
4. If the mother suddenly suffers a dramatic change in her own condition during delivery like toxemia (high blood pressure), this can effect the baby.
5. A newborn suffering from seizures which go undetected or untreated can cause irreversible damage.
6. If the placenta separates from the uterine wall (placental abruption) either because of the mother's high blood pressure or medication or for any other reason.
7. A mother who has had a previous c-section birth is at a high risk for uterine rupture. In the event this occurs, the baby must be delivered immediately by caesarean section. A delay can put the baby and mother at serious risk. This is known as (VBAC) Vaginal Birth After Section).
More information at Videos about Cerebral Palsy
