Neonatal Seizures Lawyer
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 40 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 40 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
- Last Modified:
- March 14, 2024
Neonatal seizures can have profound effects on a newborn’s health. Dealing with neonatal seizures can also be overwhelming for families, particularly when they are caused by medical negligence.
If your child has been impacted by a neonatal seizure, the award-winning neonatal seizures lawyers at Brown & Crouppen can help you seek compensation from hospitals, doctors, and nurses in St. Louis or Kansas City. Call 800-536-4357 or contact us online for a free consultation.
- What Is a Neonatal Seizure?
- Types of Infant Seizures
- What Causes Infant Seizures?
- How To Determine Medical Negligence
- How To Determine if a Baby’s Seizures Was Due to Medical Malpractice?
- Who Is Liable for Newborn Seizures?
- Symptoms of Neonatal Seizures
- Effects of Seizures on Newborns
- How Can an Attorney at Brown & Crouppen Help?
- Contact Us for a Free Consultation With a Neonatal Seizures Lawyer
What Is a Neonatal Seizure?
Neonatal seizures are neurological events that occur within the first weeks of life. They are triggered by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. While some are caused by illness or genetics, others are the result of birth injury.
Types of Infant Seizures
Understanding the types of seizures infants experience will help you spot the signs of a seizure so that you can seek medical treatment for your child. There are four types of seizures that commonly affect infants:
- Subtle seizures – This is the most common type and can cause eyelid tremors, a fixed gaze, mouth movements such as chewing, and leg pedaling.
- Clonic seizures – These types of seizures cause a region or multiple regions of the body to contract between one to three times per second. Typically, children who experience these seizures do not lose consciousness.
- Tonic seizures – This type of seizure causes muscle groups to tense for less than a minute. Oftentimes, the neck or torso will flex, or an extremity will extend.
- Myoclonic seizures – This type of seizure causes rapid contractions in a child’s head or an extremity. Both arms and legs may also experience rapid contractions if a generalized myoclonic seizure occurs.
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What Causes Infant Seizures?
Overall, just three out of every 1,000 babies experience newborn seizures. The cause varies widely, from birth injuries to genetic conditions. Common causes of infant seizures include:
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) – HIE occurs when an infant’s brain does not receive enough oxygen and blood flow.
- Intracranial hemorrhage – Bleeding inside the skull or brain can occur due to birth trauma, blood vessel abnormalities, or conditions like vitamin K deficiency, leading to seizures.
- Infections – Neonatal infections acquired in utero, during birth, or after delivery, such as meningitis and encephalitis, can trigger seizures.
- Genetic and developmental disorders – Certain genetic conditions or developmental brain abnormalities can predispose infants to seizures.
- Toxicity or withdrawal – Exposure to toxins or drugs in utero can cause seizures in newborns.
A neonatal seizure attorney will assist in investigating the cause of your child’s seizure and identifying potentially liable parties. Our team uses medical records, medical professionals, and other resources to establish liability and prove negligence.
How To Determine Medical Negligence
Determining whether negligence caused a neonatal seizure is a difficult process. It requires establishing that a medical provider’s care fell below the accepted standard, which led to your child’s seizures. You will need to closely examine the circumstances surrounding your child’s birth and prove four key elements in a medical malpractice claim against a provider:
- Standard of care – You must demonstrate that the health care provider owed your child a duty of care. In Missouri, medical professionals have a heightened duty to provide a minimum standard of care that is in line with what a prudent provider engaged in a similar practice would do in comparable circumstances.
- Breach of duty – You must show that the provider breached their duty. For example, a breach may occur if a healthcare provider fails to diagnose a condition that a competent provider would have diagnosed.
- Causation – You must prove that the provider’s breach of duty caused your child’s neonatal seizures.
- Damages – You must prove damages, such as physical, emotional, or financial losses, due to the provider’s negligence.
How To Determine if a Baby’s Seizures Was Due to Medical Malpractice?
A neonatal seizures lawyer can help determine whether a baby’s seizure was due to medical malpractice. This process often requires gathering relevant medical records, including labor and delivery notes, documenting the care provided to your child.
A lawyer may also consult other medical professionals to evaluate whether your child’s doctors provided proper care or were negligent. For example, a medical expert can examine the evidence your attorney has gathered and identify if a provider’s actions or lack of action—such as failing to monitor fetal distress or delaying your child’s delivery—may have led to your child’s seizures.
Who Is Liable for Newborn Seizures?
If your child suffered newborn seizures due to medical malpractice, liability can fall on many different parties. Liability is case-specific and depends on where and when the medical malpractice occurred. Liable parties may include:
- Obstetricians
- Gynecologists
- Pediatricians
- Neonatologists
- Anesthesiologists
- Nursing staff
- Hospitals and medical facilities
An experienced neonatal seizures lawyer can identify liable parties in your child’s case. We will also pursue compensation on their behalf for medical expenses, ongoing care, and other damages.
Symptoms of Neonatal Seizures
Neonatal seizures can be challenging to recognize due to their varied manifestations. Unlike seizures in older children and adults, which often involve more obvious convulsions, neonatal seizures may present fewer or more subtle symptoms. Common symptoms of newborn seizures include:
- Repetitive eye movement
- Cycling of the legs
- Jerking of the arms
- Stiffening of the muscles
- Irregular breathing
- Abnormal postures
- Brief periods of unresponsiveness
- Decreased alertness
If you suspect your child has experienced a neonatal seizure, be sure to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Neonatal seizures are an emergency that requires immediate attention.
Effects of Seizures on Newborns
Newborn seizures can have significant impacts on your child’s development and health. The effects can be short-term or long-term and vary widely depending on the cause, severity, and duration of the seizures. Short-term effects may include:
- Loss of consciousness
- Loss of sensory function
- Breathing problems
- Feeding difficulties
- Physical injury
Long-term effects of neonatal seizures may also include:
- Developmental delays
- Cognitive impairments
- Behavioral and emotional challenges
- Other neurological disorders
The specific effects of newborn seizures can vary. Early detection and management of neonatal seizures may minimize their impact and improve outcomes for affected infants. Ongoing follow-ups with healthcare providers, including neurologists and developmental specialists, is essential. If your child suffers from neonatal seizures caused by medical malpractice, our neonatal seizures lawyers will fight for compensation to pay for short-term and long-term care.
How Can an Attorney at Brown & Crouppen Help?
If your child has experienced a neonatal seizure that you believe was caused by medical malpractice, our neonatal seizures lawyers can help you seek compensation. Our legal team is dedicated to helping families affected by medical negligence seek justice and has recovered millions in compensation for our clients. This success led us to be recognized as the Best Law Firm in St. Louis by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
We are focused on protecting your rights and fighting for compensation if your child suffered neonatal seizures due to medical malpractice. Our award-winning neonatal seizures lawyers can help by:
- Evaluating your neonatal seizures case
- Analyzing medical records and consulting with medical experts
- Evaluating the viability of your neonatal seizure case
- Determining liability and causation of your child’s seizures
- Calculating damages for medical expenses, ongoing care, and long-term disability
- Negotiating a settlement with medical providers, hospitals, and their insurance carriers
- Representing you in court in St. Louis and Kansas City
Our community-oriented team is committed to making legal representation affordable, which is why we work on a contingency fee basis. That means we only get paid if we successfully recover compensation for you, and we do not charge hourly or upfront fees for representation.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation With a Neonatal Seizures Lawyer
If your child has suffered from neonatal seizures and you suspect medical malpractice may be to blame, our experienced neonatal seizures lawyers can help. Our attorneys in St. Louis and Kansas City bring over 40 years of experience to the table and are committed to providing top-tier legal representation to victims and their families. Call 800-536-4357 or contact us online for a free consultation. We are here to help.
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- March 14, 2024
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