Adorable newborn baby 3 day old girl in diaper check up examines by unrecognizable pediatrician doctor in medical gloves at hospital.

HIE Lawyer in Chicago

Did your child experience hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy during or immediately following delivery? Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy can cause severe permanent brain damage that may lead to long-term physical and cognitive complications. Your family may have the right to recover financial compensation for the harm your child suffered as a result of improper medical care. The legal team at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. wants to help you get it.

The experienced, reputable attorneys of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard will fight hard to hold those responsible for your child’s harm accountable. Contact our firm today for a free, no obligation case evaluation with a knowledgeable HIE lawyer in Chicago. Discover how our firm can help your family seek the money and accountability you deserve for what you and your child have suffered.

What Is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy?

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, is a condition in newborns that occurs due to oxygen deprivation or a reduction in blood flow to the brain during pregnancy, delivery, or immediately after childbirth. The lack of oxygen to the brain can cause permanent damage to brain tissue, potentially leading to permanent, chronic health conditions such as the following:

  • Cerebral palsy
  • Seizures/epilepsy
  • Learning and developmental delays
  • Hearing or vision loss
  • Difficulties with language
  • Motor deficits that affect movement and muscle control

Symptoms of HIE frequently present within the first 24 hours after delivery. They may include seizures, low muscle tone, difficulty breathing, difficulty feeding, or lethargy.

Why It’s Crucial to Work with an Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Not all cases of HIE occur due to a healthcare provider’s actions. A newborn may still suffer HIE despite reasonable, diligent medical care from a physician, midwife, or nurse. As a result, you need an experienced medical malpractice lawyer to help you determine whether your child’s injuries or complications from HIE resulted from negligent healthcare.

Why choose a hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy attorney in Chicago from Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. for your case? Because:

  • Our firm has decades of experience advocating for the rights and interests of Chicago families who have suffered due to negligent medical care.
  • We have earned a reputation as one of the top-ranked firms in Illinois, earning the top spot in Chicago Lawyer Magazine’s annual settlement report.
  • With a team of 20-plus lawyers and over 35 support staff, we have the resources to take on big corporations and insurance companies to demand the justice and results you deserve.

At Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., our attorneys will work diligently to help you and your family recover the results you deserve— just as we have for others who’ve found themselves in such tragic situations. For example, we recently won a verdict of over $75 million for the family of a child who suffered severe birth injuries at a Chicago hospital.

As our clients have said about our legal representation:

“I highly recommend Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard. They are extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and, most importantly, compassionate. After 5 years of hard work, they were able to secure a settlement that will take care of our son’s medical needs for his lifetime. Heidi, Matt, John, and Pat, as well as all the support staff, were outstanding! They did an amazing job explaining the process over the years. Our family considers them friends.” – Mike G.

Causes of HIE in Newborns

Common causes of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns include:

  • Prolonged labor, in which labor lasts longer than the expected time frame for normal delivery
  • Placental abruption, where the placenta separates from the uterine wall before delivery)
  • Umbilical cord compression or prolapse
  • Maternal low blood pressure
  • Maternal diabetes that causes vascular disease
  • Obstructions to a newborn’s breathing, such as due to meconium aspiration syndrome (newborn inhales their first stool in the amniotic fluid)
  • Fetal anemia, in which where the fetus has an abnormally low number of red blood cells or hemoglobin, resulting in inadequate oxygen deliver
  • Preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication where there is high blood pressure and signs of organ damage
  • Maternal infections

Negligent medical errors during delivery can also contribute to the occurrence of HIE, such as failure to monitor for fetal distress (where the fetus is not getting enough oxygen), failure to perform emergency cesarean sections, or improper use of delivery-assisting tools like forceps or vacuum extractors.

When HIE Is Medical Malpractice?

Your family may have an HIE medical malpractice lawsuit against a healthcare provider who attended your child’s delivery when your child’s HIE occurs due to negligent or reckless mistakes the provider made during or immediately after delivery.

A healthcare provider — such as an OB/GYN, midwife, or nurse — commits medical malpractice when they render treatment that fails to meet the applicable standard of care in a patient’s case. Although the specifics of the standard of care differ in each patient’s case, healthcare professionals define the standard of care as the treatment decisions and actions that other providers of similar training and experience would make in identical circumstances.

Examples of substandard treatment decisions/actions that could lead to HIE include the following:

  • Failure to monitor for or treat maternal health conditions, such as infections, diabetes, hypertension, or alcohol/drug addiction
  • Failure to monitor for complications during delivery, such as placental abruption (when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before the baby’s birth) or umbilical cord compression
  • Failure to monitor for signs of fetal distress
  • Improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors
  • Failure to perform an emergency cesarean section in response to such complications as maternal exhaustion or shoulder dystocia (where normal traction on the fetal head does not lead to delivery of the shoulders)
  • Failure to monitor a newborn’s vitals after delivery

Financial Compensation Recoverable in Birth Injury Lawsuits

The Chicago HIE attorneys at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. want to help you pursue justice on behalf of your family. An HIE birth injury lawsuit in Illinois can provide your family with financial relief for your child’s brain injuries, including for the following:

  • Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation for a newborn’s brain injuries, such as hospitalization, surgeries, or medications
  • Costs of long-term disability care and support services, including home health services, long-term nursing care, medical/mobility equipment, and special education services
  • Physical pain and suffering that the child experiences
  • Emotional trauma or distress the child experiences due to disability or disfigurement caused by HIE

Contact Our Birth Injury Attorneys for a Free Consultation

Did your child suffer oxygen deprivation during delivery due to a healthcare provider’s negligence? Your family could have birth injury claims for the medical consequences your child has experienced, such as cerebral palsy or other permanent brain damage.

Contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a knowledgeable hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy lawyer in Chicago. Discover more about your legal options for pursuing compensation and justice for a healthcare provider’s medical malpractice.