brain bleeding newbornsBleeding in the brain can occur at any time to anyone as a result of a number of factors, including head trauma, high blood pressure, blood disorders, and brain tumors. In an infant, the most common types of brain bleeding are: intracranial hemorrhages, intraventricular hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Sometimes these conditions are not severe, requiring very little treatment. Severe bleeds, however, require immediate medical intervention and perhaps surgery.

For newborns, the cause is likely that the baby was dropped after delivery, blunt force trauma directed at either the pregnant belly or to the newborn’s head, blood disorders, and high blood pressure from the mother. While not as common as these aforementioned causes, brain bleeding in a newborn may also be a result of improper use of birth-assistance tools such as forceps or a vacuum extraction tool. The damage inflicted from such tools can have lifelong ramifications.

To test for this condition, either a head CT scan or an MRI will be required. A doctor might also use an angiography to diagnose a newborn, which involves a thin tube that is inserted into the blood vessels, leading to the brain where contrast dye is inserted. There are symptoms you can observe in a newborn if you suspect they are suffering from brain bleeding. This includes seizures, fever, trouble with movement, and stiff neck.

Treatment for this condition will vary depending on the extent and severity of the damage as well as other health factors. Some of these treatment options involve repairing the damaged or abnormal blood vessels, or surgery to stop the bleeding.

Although not all brain bleeds are a result of medical malpractice, it is a common culprit. If your newborn child sustained a brain injury as a result of medical negligence, you deserve justice. Fieger Law has been fighting for the rights of babies injured by negligent doctors and nurses since 1983 and have secured some of the nation’s largest verdicts.