Malpractice Cases Alleging Child's Erb's Palsy Was Attributable To Physician's Error

By: J. Hernandez | Posted: 18th June 2010

Erb's palsy is an injury that affect's a newborn's shoulder, arm and hand, giving the newborn a limp arm. An Erb's palsy injury can arise in the course of childbirth if excessive pressure is applied, harming the nerves in the shoulder. In case your child suffers from Erb's palsy you should contact an attorney without delay to determine whether you and your child might have a malpractice claim against the responsible physician. Erb's palsy describes damage to the system of nerve fibers that deliver signals from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm, wrist, hand and fingers, and thus impacts the child's power to manipulate the affected areas and feeling in those areas.

Erb's pasy typically at the time of a challenging natural delivery as a result of too much force applied to the head, neck or shoulders. The types of deliveries during which a baby is has the greatest risk of being injured in this way include those with a large baby, breeched position or extented labor. Under such circumstances, the doctor or other health care professional may apply maneuvers (sometimes involving the use of forceps or a vacuum) that may cause too much pulling on the shoulders during a headfirst delivery or place excessive pressure on the arm and shoulder during a breech delivery.

In general terms, the baby tends to present with a limp arm. Basically, the arm hangs limp and is rotated internally. Due to the lack of use, the arm might seem underdeveloped as compared to the normal arm. Further, infants suffering from Erb's palsy may show other symptoms regarding problems with circulation, like skin rashes, slow healing, as well as a tendency for infections.

The majority of children affected by Erb's palsy recover within six months, oftentimes after physical therapy. In cases involving an actual rupturing or tearing of the nerves, surgery might be necessary, perhaps including tendon transfers to compensate for nerves that have lost functionality. If surgery fails to correct the damage, the child may be left with long term, partial, or total loss of functionality of the affected nerves, resulting in paralysis of the arm or arm weakness.

Should your suffers from Erb's Palsy you should immediately consult with a medical malpractice attorney to check if you and your minor may be able to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor or other medical care professional liable for your infant's injury. Keep in mind that a plaintiff has only a limited time frame within which to act or be forever barred from succeeding on the claim and from recovering. Consult with an attorney about how much time may remain.

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Tags: circulation, shoulders, health care professional, physical therapy, skin rashes, childbirth, nerves, vacuum, deliveries, spinal cord, excessive pressure, nerve fibers, maneuvers