Cephalohematoma is a potential birth injury that can be tied to medical malpractice. If your child was diagnosed with this condition after a complicated birth in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the birth injury attorneys at Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC, can investigate to determine your legal options. Your family may be able to seek financial compensation for this type of birth injury and the harm it has caused to your child.
What Is a Cephalohematoma?
In medical terms, “cephalo-” refers to the head, brain or skull, while “hematoma” is the pooling of blood inside the body. Cephalohematoma, therefore, refers to a birth injury where blood collects between the infant’s skull and the thin membrane that covers the bone (the periosteum).
While most infant cephalohematomas resolve on their own without causing any lasting harm, the accumulation of blood in the infant’s subperiosteal space can be problematic if it does not break down or reabsorb properly. For this reason, careful monitoring is required of a baby with this condition. Cephalohematoma can cause health complications such as jaundice or anemia.
How a Cephalohematoma Lawyer in Minnesota Can Help
When you contact a medical malpractice attorney in Minneapolis for a potential lawsuit for your child’s cephalohematoma, you gain an important advocate during the legal process. An attorney can investigate your case to determine whether medical malpractice or a substandard level of care caused the injury.
Your lawyer can preserve and collect evidence to build your injury claim, such as your hospital records, eyewitness statements and medical expert testimony. Then, your attorney can file the required paperwork to initiate a lawsuit within the Minneapolis justice system.
Unlike an insurance company, your attorney will want to maximize your family’s financial recovery for a case of cephalohematoma. To achieve this goal, your lawyer can aggressively negotiate with insurance claims adjusters for a fair settlement or litigate your birth injury case at trial, if necessary.
What Are the Symptoms of Cephalohematoma?
A cephalohematoma can present physical symptoms in a newborn within a few days after birth. While every case is unique, common signs include:
- A soft, raised bump on the head or skull that becomes harder over time
- Raised swelling on the scalp
- Swelling that stops at the skull bone sutures (does not cross over)
- No bruising or discoloration
If the baby has accompanying yellowish skin tone, pale skin, a low red blood cell count, feeding issues, constant crying, vomiting or lethargy, these are signs of cephalohematoma complications that require immediate medical attention.
Potential Long-Term Effects of Cephalohematoma
In the majority of cases (approximately 80 percent), newborn cephalohematoma is harmless and does not cause any long-term complications or effects. However, there is a percentage of cases where the infant experiences lasting adverse health effects.
Potential health complications include jaundice, anemia, hypotension (high blood pressure), infection and intracranial hemorrhage. In rare cases, a cephalohematoma may calcify rather than reabsorb into the skin. This can cause a hard lump (cosmetic deformity) on the child’s scalp.
Doctors and parents should look out for signs of other injuries in addition to a cephalohematoma, such as underlying skull fractures or a traumatic brain injury. The hematoma may not be the only injury the newborn suffered in a complicated birth.
What Causes Cephalohematoma?
Cephalohematoma in a newborn can occur due to trauma suffered before, during or just after labor and delivery. It is symptomatic of physical trauma to the infant’s head or skull during the birthing process.
Cephalohematoma is most commonly seen after complicated deliveries, such as those involving shoulder dystocia, breech position or prolonged labor.
Issues and medical events that may result in infant cephalohematoma include:
- Minor trauma to the infant’s skull
- Misuse of birth-assistive tools (e.g., forceps or vacuum)
- Shearing forces or pressure against the infant’s head
- Prolonged labor
- Large infant size compared to the birth canal
- Abnormal fetal presentation
- Twins or triplets
Any rupture of an infant’s blood vessels in the scalp can cause a newborn cephalohematoma. Since the bleeding from a rupture is gradual, the signs of this condition may not be noticed immediately at birth. It can take hours or even days for a cephalohematoma to present visible signs.
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim?
As the parent of a child with a cephalohematoma after birth in Minneapolis, it is important to discuss a potential medical malpractice claim with a local attorney as soon as possible. While the statute of limitations in Minnesota generally gives claimants four years from the date of the act of malpractice to file a related lawsuit, this deadline can approach quickly.
Prompt action is recommended by personal injury lawyers, as important evidence may get lost, destroyed or lose accuracy over time. Acting quickly can also protect your legal rights in the event that you have a special circumstance that shortens your filing deadline, such as a claim against a government agency.
How Do You Prove Medical Malpractice?
A newborn cephalohematoma could be a sign of medical malpractice if a nurse, physician, surgeon, OBGYN or another health care provider fell short of the accepted standard of care during the labor and delivery process.
A variety of medical errors could inflict a cephalohematoma birth injury. If there was a misuse of a vacuum during delivery, for example, this type of malpractice could injure the infant’s skull and even cause a brain injury.
To recover compensation for your child’s cephalohematoma, you or your Minneapolis cephalohematoma attorney will have to prove that the defendant (accused party) owed you a duty of care as your health care provider, negligently breached this duty of care, and that this caused your child’s head or brain injury.
As the plaintiff or filing party, you bear the burden of proving your claim. This burden can be met using compelling evidence, such as medical records and documentation, photographs, witness statements, and medical expert testimony.
Contact Our Minneapolis Birth Injury Lawyers Today
If your newborn is diagnosed with a cephalohematoma in Minneapolis and you are curious whether your family has the right to recover financial compensation, contact Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC for a free initial case review with a Minneapolis cephalohematoma attorney.
If there is evidence of malpractice associated with your child’s cephalohematoma, your family may be eligible for a settlement or judgment that helps you move forward. Our attorneys have secured groundbreaking case results for past clients both in Minnesota and nationwide.
Find out how we can help you during a cost-free cephalohematoma consultation. Call us at (612) 333-4662 to speak to a local attorney.