What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy or CP is a medical term used to describe a group of disorders affecting body movement and muscle co-ordination. Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to the brain during pregnancy, delivery or childhood. This damage interferes with messages from the brain to the body, and from the body to the brain with effects ranging from slight awkwardness of movement or hand control to virtually no muscle control greatly affecting movement and speech.

The location of the brain injury influences the effects of the disorder, which can include:

* Mental Retardation
* Seizures
* Impairment of Speech, Hearing or Sight
* Abnormal Perception and Sensation
* Problems in Gait and Mobility
* Involuntary Movement
* Muscle Spasm or Tightness

How Cerebral Palsy Occurs

Any damage to the developing brain, whether caused by genetic or developmental disorders, injury or disease, may produce cerebral palsy. Often medical malpractice plays an unfortunate role in the injury of a fetus during pregnancy of an infant during delivery. The failed diagnosis of complications during pregnancy resulting in the harm to a baby is one example of medical malpractice. Another common example of malpractice is a labor which is allowed to last too long that often results in brain damage as poor oxygen supply destroys brain tissue. Additional examples of malpractice are side effects of anesthetics and analgesics can negatively impact an infant causing brain injuries.

Types of Cerebral Palsy

There are four types of Cerebral Palsy: Spastic CP, Athetoid or Dyskinetic CP, Ataxic CP and Mixed CP which combines the three types of CP.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy. With Spastic Cerebral Palsy, the muscles are very stiff, and permanently contracted. Doctors can tell which type of Spastic CP a person has by which limbs are affected. The term PLEGIA, which means paralyzed, or weak, is tacked on the end of each form of Spastic CP. Examples are HemiPLEGIA (one side of the body is affected) and QuadriPLEGIA (all 4 limbs affected). In some people BOTH legs can be affected. They can turn in and cross at the knees. This is called scissoring, and can interfere with their walking ability. Some with Spastic CP may experience hemiparetic tremors. Hemiparetic tremors are uncontrollable shaking, affecting the limbs on only one side of a person's body. Sometimes the tremors are severe, and can affect movement.

Athetoid or Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy. People with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy will have uncontrolled, slow, writhing movements. These movements will often affect the hands, feet, arms, or legs. Sometimes the muscles in a persons face or tongue will be affected, causing drooling. These movements a person with Athetoid CP has, will often increase during stressful times, and will most likely disappear while sleeping. Also, people with this particular type of CP may have problems coordinating muscle movements that are needed for speech. This is called dysarthria.

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy. This type of CP is very rare, and affects balance and coordination. A person with Ataxic CP may walk unsteady and have a wide step. They could place their feet far apart, and may have difficulty with quick or exact movements, like buttoning a shirt, or writing. Also, they could have "intention tremors." This type of tremor will start with a voluntary movement, for example, reaching a book. This may cause trembling in the body part that is being used. The tremor will get worse as the person gets near that object?in this case, the book.

Mixed Type Cerebral Palsy. A combination of the types of cerebral palsy detailed above. The most common type of mixed types is a mix of Spastic CP and Athetoid CP. But, however, other combinations are very much possible.

Proving Negligence

By reviewing the prenatal and delivery records we can often establish the doctors were negligent in preventing cerebral palsy and brain damage. We typically, review lab results and fetal monitoring strips with the assistance of our expert medical consultants. If a child suffers a period of oxygen deprivation, this can result in fetal distress which, if a doctor doesn't act quickly, may lead to permanent damage or death.

Trained staff must be available to activate the fetal heart monitor, inspect and analyze the strip continuously and intervene where fetal distress is observed. Cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), bradycardia (slow heartbeat), and tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) are all signs of fetal distress.

Meconium or the fetal feces, can also cause fetal distress. A lawyer must determine if there is resulting fetal hypoxia which is insufficient oxygen to the tissues. A doctor must always determine if there is an abnormal blood pH. There is a decrease in the blood pH, or acidosis, when there is a buildup of acid level in the blood due to the fetus not receiving enough oxygen. There is a long history of linking oxygen deprivation and the pH reading to babies born with brain damage. Too low a pH level will establish fetal distress and in many cases an immediate C-section should follow.

By carefully evaluating and studying all medical records, a lawyer can determine if there was a deviation from the standard of care by the doctors or medical staff resulting in unnecessary brain damage to the child.

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