Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) Brain Injury
Periventricular Leukomalacia Injury Attorney in Honolulu, Hawaii
Expecting parents always have high hopes of having a perfectly healthy baby. While waiting for your little one to come out, you may have made many preparations. You may have imagined a happy family life and a bright future for your child. But what if your child was injured during delivery? Or, even worse, suffered a brain injury that may impact the rest of their life?
It can be devastating to know that your child may not be able to live the best life you imagined for them. And how the quality of their life will suffer because of their brain injury. It’s made more catastrophic knowing that your child suffered because of the negligence of a medical professional.
If you believe your child’s birth injury was caused by medical negligence, immediately reach out to a PVL brain injury lawyer. Dial our number now for initial consultation and evaluation of your case.
Why do I need a PVL Brain Injury Lawyer in Hawaii?
Your child deserves to live a life like others. But more than that, your child deserves justice. The medical professionals who failed to deliver their duty of care deserve to pay for their negligence and medical malpractice.
SRB Hawaii Law, a birth injury law firm in Honolulu, Hawaii, can help you obtain justice and fair compensation for your child’s injury. Our attorney has almost 30 years of experience winning birth injury cases. We will not only help you win your battle but also catalyze positive change to ensure health care providers avoid committing the same mistakes again.
If you want to know how SRB Hawaii Law can help win your case, reach out to us for a free consultation about your birth injury case.
What is Periventricular Leukomalacia?
Periventricular leukomalacia, also known as PVL, is a form of brain injury common in premature babies. It is characterized by damage to the brain tissue surrounding fluid-filled holes in the brain, known as ventricles. This region contains the nerves that transmit signals between the brain and the muscles throughout the body. The area of damaged brain tissue in persons affected by PVL can impair the nerve cells that control motor function.
This disorder mainly causes epilepsy and cerebral palsy. It also has the potential to bring on a variety of other long-term mental and physical impairments. Infants born with PVL may also be given a 60% to 100% diagnosis of cerebral palsy as a secondary condition. At worst, it may be a wrongful death for your baby.
If you believe your child is affected by PVL due to medical malpractice, reach out to a competent Hawaii PVL brain injury lawyer to discuss your potential legal options.
What Causes Periventricular Leukomalacia?
Even though PVL is the second most common disease affecting premature newborns’ central nervous systems, the cause of PVL remains unknown. However, it is recognized that an inadequate oxygen supply can bring on PVL to the fetus. There is a higher risk for the condition in premature birth, though it is not always the case.
Newborns deprived of oxygen during labor, delivery, or the first few minutes after delivery are at risk of brain damage, along with developing periventricular leukomalacia. Symptoms normally appear between 24-36 weeks of gestation, but they can also affect a premature baby between 26 and 32 weeks. Because of the lack of oxygen, the periventricular tissue begins to die off or deteriorate.
Other risk factors of periventricular leukomalacia can also include:
- Failure or delay of a physician in performing an emergency procedure C-section for babies under fetal distress
- Pregnancy, labor, and delivery birth asphyxia
- Antepartum hemorrhage
- Twins in the womb
- Inflammation of the umbilical cord
- Inflammation of the fetal membrane
- Infections in the womb during pregnancy
- Baby resuscitation for an extended period
- Amniotic sac rupture
- Drug use when pregnant
Any of the above is a risk factor for infant brain damage and developing PVL. If you strongly suspect your infant suffered a birth injury caused by negligent medical professionals, you should contact an experienced periventricular leukomalacia birth injury lawyer immediately.
How to Determine if Medical Malpractice Caused Periventricular Leukomalacia?
Even if you and your doctor take all the necessary precautions, PVL might still occur independently. Unfortunately, difficulties can emerge anytime during pregnancy, labor, or delivery without prior warning.
On some occasions, PVL could be the result of carelessness on the part of medical professionals. You might have grounds for legal action if any of the following things have occurred to you:
- Failure to properly monitor you and your unborn child during pregnancy and delivery
- Failure to properly observe your newborn after birth
- Failure to schedule a C-section when they identified complications or delayed it throughout labor
- Failure to recognize and treat conditions that can cause preterm birth
- Failure to prevent conditions that can result in hypoxic-ischemic birth injury
- Incorrect application of forceps or vacuum extractors
- Inadequate informed consent involves informing the mother of the dangers and options of delivery procedures, medication use, etc.;
- Inadequate delivery of the baby and failure to adhere to standards of care, whether performing a C-section or vaginal delivery;
- Overventilation of the baby, resulting in hypocarbia.
You owe it to yourself and your baby to seek legal help from a credible periventricular leukomalacia birth injury lawyer in Hawaii to fight for your rights and fair compensation claim if your child is a victim of medical malpractice. Call our Honolulu birth injury law office today!
Periventricular Leukomalacia Compensation Claims
Your newborn might have a disability for the remainder of their life if born with periventricular leukomalacia. With the assistance of a skilled Hawaii PVL brain injury lawyer, you could receive fair compensation that may help relieve some of the difficulties. You may be granted compensation claims for:
- Medical bills and hospital expenses
- Future medical bills and care
- Surgery and other treatments
- Adaptive equipment like wheelchairs and crutches
- Physical therapy
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship and enjoyment of life
- Loss of earning capacity
- Other costs associated with your child’s condition
You won’t know how much compensation your child deserves until you engage a reputable periventricular leukomalacia birth injury lawyer. You may choose between settlement and litigation. Your lawyer will explain your alternatives and guide you through each step of your birth injury claim.
Call our Qualified Periventricular Leukomalacia Injury Attorney in Honolulu, Hawaii, Now!
If your child was diagnosed with PVL and you suspect that medical malpractice may have been involved before, during, or after the delivery of your child, SRB Hawaii Law is here and ready to lend a hand at any time. We are the best lawyers to bring justice to you and your child.
If you are a parent whose child suffers from periventricular leukomalacia birth injury due to medical malpractice, we want you to know that you are not alone in this battle. Whether it’s a settlement or a birth injury lawsuit, we will ensure that you achieve your desired results. Reach out to our birth injury attorney now!
