Neonatal sepsis is a potentially life-threatening medical condition where a newborn baby’s body has an extreme reaction to an infection introduced to the blood. In some cases, neonatal sepsis is the result of medical malpractice.
Mismanagement during pregnancy or childbirth that leads to infant sepsis can give a family the right to pursue financial compensation with a birth injury claim in Minneapolis. Hiring the right medical malpractice lawyer during this difficult time can make all the difference.
Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC is a team of attorneys that truly cares about our community’s patients, mothers, infants and families. We will work tirelessly to deliver justice to your family in the aftermath of harmful neonatal sepsis.
We’re ready to fight for your rights. Call (612) 333-4662 today for a free consultation, where we will listen to your story and evaluate your case at no cost.
Why Choose Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC in Minneapolis?
- We are equipped to go up against any defendant in Minneapolis, including major hospitals, birthing centers and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
- Our medical malpractice attorneys have recovered more than $200 million for clients, including a recent $29 million verdict for a birth injury case.
- We accept clients in Minneapolis on a contingency fee basis for neonatal sepsis claims, which means you won’t be charged a cent in attorney’s fees unless we win.
How Can a Minneapolis Neonatal Sepsis Lawyer Help?
If your infant has been impacted by neonatal sepsis, a Minneapolis birth injury lawyer can help you explore your rights. A lawyer can investigate your situation, search for signs and evidence of medical negligence, pursue maximum financial compensation for your losses, and make your family whole again as much as possible.
Birth injury cases for infant sepsis involve complex facts and issues that require specialized knowledge and medical experts. The right law firm will have the staff, tools, connections and advanced attorneys to negotiate and litigate this type of birth injury claim. Your family can focus on healing while your lawyer handles the rest.
What Is Neonatal Sepsis?
Neonatal sepsis begins with an infant infection. If bacteria are introduced to the infant’s bloodstream, such as pneumonia or Group B streptococcus (GBS), the baby’s body may have an overwhelming response. The infant’s immune system may turn against healthy tissues, including the organs. If not detected and treated right away, neonatal sepsis can lead to organ damage, organ failure and infant death.
The Dangers of Neonatal Sepsis
Neonatal sepsis can be treated with medical care such as intravenous antibiotics, IV fluids, and support for the infant’s respiratory and cardiovascular systems. If sepsis is treated too late, however, it can spread to the baby’s brain and cause permanent neurological damage due to severe swelling (edema). This can result in conditions such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, brain damage and death.
Signs of Sepsis in a Newborn
The presence of sepsis in a newborn can present with highly varying signs. Potential symptoms include, but are not limited to:
- Unusually high or low body temperature
- Fast or slow heart rate
- Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
- Low energy or fatigue
- Limpness or floppiness
- Pale, gray or yellow skin (jaundice)
- Clammy skin or other skin changes
- Poor feeding or refusal to eat
- Constant crying or irritability
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Swollen abdomen
- Infant seizures
Signs of sepsis can develop rapidly in a newborn. Early detection and intervention are vital in cases of neonatal sepsis to help prevent long-term and life-threatening damage.
What Can Cause Neonatal or Infant Sepsis?
Many common types of neonatal sepsis can be prevented beforehand with proper precautions and proactive measures taken by doctors and OBGYNs. Infant sepsis due to a mother transmitting GBS bacteria to the infant during childbirth, for instance, can be prevented with a simple test and intravenous antibiotics during pregnancy.
Common causes include:
- Failing to test for, detect or treat maternal infections prior to childbirth
- Failing to identify and promptly treat infection in the infant
- Using unsterilized equipment during a C-section delivery
- Failing to properly wash hands before handling a newborn
- Failing to identify sepsis, allowing it to progress unchecked
- Failing to transfer an infant with sepsis to the NICU in a timely manner
- Mishandling the treatment or care of mother or infant
While not all types of sepsis can be prevented, many can. If a medical error of any kind contributed to the initiation or progression of sepsis in a Minneapolis newborn, the medical provider could face civil liability through a malpractice lawsuit.
When Is Neonatal Sepsis a Sign of Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice is the failure of a health care professional to meet the required standards of care when treating a patient, resulting in harm to the patient (or harm to an infant in a birth injury case).
If a health care provider failed to monitor the situation or respond properly to events that put the infant at risk of sepsis, that individual could be considered negligent or derelict in the duty owed to patients.
Professional negligence could lead to a medical malpractice claim brought against the individual and/or hospital in Minneapolis. Neonatal sepsis may be a sign of medical malpractice if four specific elements are present.
Professional Duty of Care
The medical team in charge of the mother’s care during pregnancy, before birth and throughout the birthing process has a responsibility to take reasonable measures to prevent infant sepsis. The medical industry has high standards of patient care.
Breach of the Standard of Care
Where a reasonable and prudent health care provider would have detected risk factors or warning signs of neonatal sepsis and intervened, but the defendant did not, it represents a violation of the defendant’s professional standard of care.
Causation
The defendant’s lack of proper patient care must be what led to the neonatal sepsis, or what failed to prevent the sepsis from progressing to a dangerous level.
Damages
The infant (and infant’s family) suffered compensable losses or damages as an outcome of the physician’s negligence, such as bodily harm, additional medical expenses, long-term NICU care or permanent disability due to brain damage.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation With an Experienced Neonatal Sepsis Attorney in Minneapolis
At Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC, we realize that no amount of money can make up for serious harm to your baby due to medical malpractice, negligence and a preventable case of neonatal sepsis. However, we also recognize the importance of holding health care providers accountable for wrongdoing and delivering justice to Minneapolis infants and families.
We are here to fight for you. Find out how we can help during a free case consultation at our local law firm. Call (612) 333-4662 or contact us online anytime to get started.