Category Archives: Birth Injury
Topamax Birth Injury Lawsuit Verdict Upheld
A Pennsylvania appeals court upheld a $3 million birth injury lawsuit verdict in a case against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson last month. The verdict was appealed by the defendant after the trial court found that the drug manufacturer failed to warn doctors about the risks associated with Topamax and birth injuries. Pharmaceutical… Read More »
High C-section rate could be financially motivated
The number of cesarean deliveries that are performed at hospitals in California and around the country may be excessive, according to some researchers. In the United States, nearly 33 percent of births are C-sections. The U.S. C-section rate is much higher than the ideal C-section rate of 10 to 15 percent that was established… Read More »
Home births determined safe for low-risk pregnancies
California residents should be aware of a Canadian study, which found that women with low-risk pregnancies who use the services of a midwife to deliver a baby at home have no significantly greater risk of serious injury or neonatal death than women who give birth in a hospital. The study found that planned home… Read More »
Electronic fetal monitoring can increase childbirth risks
Electronic fetal monitoring is the single most common obstetric procedure in California and across the United States, with statistics showing it is used on more than eight out of 10 pregnant women. However, years of studies show that it is unnecessary and potentially dangerous. EFM, which includes internal and external monitoring of a baby’s… Read More »
California leads the way in reducing pregnancy complications
Pregnancy and delivery have often presented dangers to the mother who is giving birth. However, the incidence today of a death during a pregnancy are about 18.5 per every 100,000 live births in the United States. While this number has risen from a low of eight per 100,000 live births in 1987, the rate… Read More »
Preventing birth injuries by inducing labor
Although it is not common for doctors in California and around the country to induce labor until a pregnancy has reached 39 weeks, it may be safer to do so if the baby is unusually large. By inducing labor at 37 or 38 weeks, the baby will have more room to navigate the birth… Read More »
Simple safety measures can dramatically reduce birth injuries
Birth injuries that occur in California hospitals can have fatal outcomes or cause devastating lifelong consequences. However, a recent report by Public Citizen has demonstrated how simple procedural changes can be used to dramatically reduce negative outcomes in hospital births. The report detailed what happened over the course of 15 years when four medical… Read More »
Head trauma in young children
As many California parents may know, head injury in the pediatric population may be associated with car crashes, falls and other accidents. The type of head injury relates to the intensity of trauma. When a child with a head injury goes to the doctor, he or she should be examined for lacerations, swelling or… Read More »
What risks are associated with forceps-assisted delivery?
During a vaginal delivery, doctors may need to use forceps in order to get the baby out. Most women in California will not require the use of forceps, and it is safer to deliver without the use of this special tool. Although there are some risks associated with forceps-assisted deliveries, there are rarely any… Read More »