Shoulder Dystocia Birth Injury

Many injuries can occur during birth. The birthing canal is small and can pose risks during a natural delivery. If a baby’s shoulders are too wide, complications can arise in the birthing canal.

Shoulder dystocia is one of the leading causes of birth injuries in America. It happens due to doctor misdiagnoses and improper reactions. Birth injuries are a type of medical malpractice.

What Exactly is Shoulder Dystocia?

Shoulder injuries can be quite serious in some cases. However, it is easy to recognize. This birth injury can be due to medical misdiagnosing. For more information on shoulder dystocia, visit The March Of Dimes website.

Shoulder dystocia happens when the baby’s head has cleared the birth canal but the shoulders become stuck. Harmful to both baby and mother, the doctor must properly respond. If the doctor does not, the mother can hemorrhage or experience a uterine rupture.

In order to determine shoulder dystocia, doctors must order a variety of tests. Many doctors fail to order these tests due to fear of insurance not properly covering the costs. This is neglectful and unacceptable.

Injuries Caused by Shoulder Dystocia

When a shoulder injury occurs, more birthing injuries can follow. It’s a sort of chain-reaction that results in brachial plexus injuries. 

The brachial plexus is a complex set of important nerves. They exit the spinal cord at the level of the neck, extend through the shoulder into the armpit. Then, go down the arm and into the fingertips. 

Here are common injuries after a shoulder dystocia birth injury:

• Erb’s palsy
• Cerebral palsy
• Klumpke’s palsy
• Developmental delay

These injuries can be lifelong and destructive to the quality of life. Many malpractice lawsuits deal with birth injury and doctor negligence. Successful lawsuits provide money for medical care and the special needs of the baby.

Shoulder Dystocia Lawsuit

If you or a loved one suffered from a birth injury, Kane & Silverman is here for you. We sympathetically understand your situation and can help you. Call or contact us for a free birth injury consultation.

Our team of knowledgeable personal injury attorneys will aggressively protect your rights. We have a long record of obtaining large amounts of compensation for our clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.