Meconium Aspiration Syndrome Birth Injury Attorneys: Chicago, Illinois

When a baby breathes meconium (baby's first stool) immediately before or during delivery into her lungs they may develop a complication known as meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). When properly treated with suctioning and a course of antibiotics, most babies with MAS fully recover. However, when medical staff fail to identify newborns with MAS, the child risks serious complications that can lead to permanent injuries and disabilities.

Attorneys for Medical Malpractice Claims for Meconium Aspiration Helping Your Family

If your newborn has suffered a birth injury, you need a Chicago medical malpractice attorney. The legal team at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC is just a phone call away. We can help you as you explore the possibility of a lawsuit to hold the hospital staff accountable. Contact us today for your free consultation.

Causes of Meconium Aspiration

Most cases of MAS derive from the fact that the baby suffered some form of fetal distress during the delivery process causing them to ingest fecal matter. When babies are not getting an adequate supply of blood and oxygen, their bodies are thought to respond to the stress by expelling meconium. Under stress, the baby's intestines expel thick meconium.

Knowing the complications that can ensue following fetus distress, doctors must carefully monitor the health of the baby, especially to detect the presence of meconium. The most important method of monitoring fetal health is believed to be fetal monitoring in order to determine a complication at its onset.

Signs of Meconium Aspiration Syndrome

Any obstetrician should know the dangers and signs of MAS. Children born that have meconium in the amniotic fluid are at a much higher risk, 100-fold, of developing respiratory diseases and other complications. When babies pass meconium and it is released into the amniotic fluid, it is visible as a dark green color and should be the first sign that the child may have breathed in the substance in utero or while they are in the birth canal.  This requires that the medical team take appropriate action immediately. In addition, the newborn baby often will have symptoms such as:

• Labored breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Limpness

If the child is treated for MAS immediately, they most likely will not have any long term problems. However, when these signs are ignored due to negligence, or in severe cases, the child is in danger of severe health problems.

Simply stated, doctors must know the risk factors for MAS and perform the appropriate diagnostic tests.

Serious Complications Derived From Untreated MAS

When MAS occurs, most likely the child already had a difficult birth, causing distress. The attending doctor and nursing staff has a responsibility to be aware of any possible problems that may arise from the stress of birth, including MAS. When a newborn is not given the appropriate treatment for this condition by medical professionals, the child will often times have difficulty breathing and become short on oxygen in the baby's lungs. The lungs can be greatly compromised as well. Due to these complications, the child may suffer: 

• Aspiration pneumonia
• Collapsed lung
• Brain damage and other brain injury
• Cerebral Palsy
• Persistent pulmonary hypertension- inability to get adequate oxygen supply throughout the body

These complications, especially brain damage, can lead to permanent mental and physical disabilities. The true extent of the damage may not be noticeable at first, but as the child develops, cognitive and behavioral issues may become apparent. These can be lifelong disabilities that can cause physical, emotional and financial problems for both the child and their family.

Birth Injury Lawyers Prosecuting Meconium Aspiration Cases

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC work with some of the leading doctors who can evaluate fetal monitoring strips and other medical records to evaluate meconium aspiration syndrome cases. Our Illinois birth injury lawyers can then work up the case with goal of determining the full extent of your child's injuries and then protecting your child's future needs through a medical malpractice lawsuit.

For example, in many of our birth injury lawsuits, we retain the services of a life-care planner who can evaluate the needs of each child for their immediate and ling-term care needs. We then utilize the services of an economist who can extrapolate the economic costs of these care expenses.

While these cases do require a tremendous amount of work to get going, our intent is and always will be to provide for the best possible outcome for each case and protect the legal rights of each child. Contact us for a free consultation by calling us or filling out a contact form today to obtain legal advice about your case.