NEW JERSEY HIE LAWYER

• Abnormal lethargy
• Acidic blood
• Blood pressure abnormalities
• Feeding problems
• Lack of alertness
• Lack of natural reflexes
• Low heart rate
• Meconium in the amniotic fluid
• Pale or bluish skin
• Seizures
• Trouble breathing
• Underdeveloped muscle tone

If your newborn child exhibits any of the above symptoms, seek medical attention immediately, as your baby may have suffered a birth injury. HIE injuries can sometimes be difficult to spot, especially because the symptoms might take a while to present themselves. However, if you notice any behavioral problems or developmental delays, you need to see a doctor right away.

Treatment Options for Neonatal Encephalopathy

Once brain damage occurs there is no cure, but there are treatments available that can help improve symptoms and stop certain types of damage from worsening. Treatment often includes therapeutic hyperthermia, which utilizes cold temperatures to prevent brain damage from worsening after an injury occurs. However, this treatment must be administered almost immediately after the injury occurred to have any positive impact.

How Do Children Develop Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy?

HIE can develop in a variety of ways, but it usually occurs as the result of a birth complication. If anything troubling happens during the birth, or if the mother has a preexisting complication, it is the doctor’s responsibility to respond accordingly. If the doctor fails to respond, responds poorly, or responds too late, the mother and child could suffer serious injuries as a result.

Any of the following situations can result in an HIE injury:

• Breech birth
• Improper fetal heart rate monitoring
• Maternal infections
• Placenta previa
• Placental abruption
• Premature birth
• Prolonged labor
• Umbilical cord complications
• Uterine rupture

Any of these birth complications can ultimately deprive the unborn or newborn baby of vital oxygen. Certain complications might create a shortage of oxygen in the blood, which decreases the amount of blood flow to the brain. When the brain does not receive enough oxygen, it may be damaged, especially if the lack of blood flow is prolonged.