Brachial Plexus Injury or Erb’s Palsy Medical Malpractice Risk Factors

Brachial Plexus Injury or Erb’s Palsy Medical Malpractice Risk Factors

The United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc (UPBN) recently announced the annual Brachial Plexus Injury Awareness Week (October 19 thru 26). The purpose of Brachial Plexus Injury Awareness is to promote public awareness of brachial plexus injury, sometimes called erb's palsy, to infants during childbirth. For those of you unfamiliar with brachial plexus injuries, they are injuries to nerves that affect the hand, shoulder, and/or elbow often leaving one or both arms with some degree of paralysis.

To promote awareness of the injury, below please find several risk factors for erbs palsy.

If you are an expecting Mom or your child has erbs palsy please read this, erbs palsy can most likely be prevented if you and/or your doctor are aware of the risk factors.

Erb’s Palsy is caused by a number of factors throughout the pregnancy, labor and/or delivery. During the prenatal period risk factors may be present that should indicate to your doctor that a cesarean section (C-section) is necessary due to the risk of shoulder dystocia (the child’s shoulder getting stuck on the mothers pubic bone). These risk factors include but are not limited to: history of gestational diabetes, maternal weight gain of 35 pounds or more, prior shoulder dystocia, birth weight over 8 lbs. 14 oz., unusually formed pelvis and/or short or small stature of the mother.

Additionally a prolonged second stage of labor may indicate the need for a c-section even if none of the risk factors above were present.

Finally, erb’s palsy may be a result of you doctor not properly handling shoulder dystocia during delivery. Here, there may have been no indications of the risk of your child experiencing shoulder dystocia, however, once encountered the doctor may not have performed the necessary procedures. These procedures often include but are not limited to an episiotomy followed by the McRoberts maneuver, Woods maneuver and/or suprapubic pressure.

Please feel to call or e-mail me if you have any questions regarding your childs injury.

Ken Levine

Kenneth Levine & Associates,  LLC.
370 Washington Street
Brookline, Massachusetts  02445
617-566-2700
617-566-6144 (fax) Klevine@Klevinelaw.com

www.klevinelaw.com