People hear the words “birth injury” and think that this is something that only occurs in the third world countries or in rural areas—places that are completely void of modern medicine.  Most people are completely shocked to learn that birth injuries do happen in the United States and in modern hospitals. The fact of the matter is that birth injuries are common across the entire country, including the greater Kansas City area. Sadly, even in today’s high-tech world mothers and babies die during or after childbirth.

If you are scratching your head thinking that simply is not possible, it is true. While medical advancements have made childbirth a normal, non-life threatening event, deadly mistakes can and do happen. Medical mistakes, also known as medical malpractice, do occur and sadly, no hospital is immune to human error. Even procedures like Caesarian sections (more commonly referred to as C-sections) which most women would say are as safe, or safer, than a traditional vaginal birth—can be linked to birth injuries. The following are the most common birth related injuries linked to C-sections:

• Fetal Lacerations: Fetal lacerations or small cuts or nicks found on the baby can occur during a C-section. This type of injury is usually minor in nature, but serious lacerations can occur. Injuries of this nature usually occur more in emergency or delayed C-sections than in pre-planned procedures. However, lacerations can also be the result of an inexperienced or incompetent doctor.
• Delayed C-section injuries: While some C-Sections are planned in advance, others are made close to the time of delivery. Often a doctor orders a C-section when certain factors present that would make a vaginal delivery too risky for either mother or baby. If a doctor fails to recognize complications that would make a traditional birth dangerous too late, a delayed C-section can result in injuries to the baby. These injuries include physical injuries and oxygen deprivation. A baby who does not receive adequate oxygen can suffer brain damage. Lack of oxygen can also be linked to serious conditions like cerebral palsy.
• Fetal breathing problems: Infants who are delivered through C-section are at a higher risk of breathing problems. After delivery, babies born via C-section need to be monitored carefully for breathing problems. Failure to diagnosis and treat a breathing problem could cause respiratory distress syndrome or even long-term health problems.

In addition to the above, the mother is also at risk of the following:

• Anesthesia Injuries: Any time a woman in labor is given general anesthesia or an epidural and spinal anesthesia there is a risk of complications. Poor reactions to anesthesia can include: internal bleeding, blood clots, extremely low blood pressure, placenta previa, placenta abruption and severe headaches.
• Surgical Errors: Surgical errors can occur doing a C-section but are usually quite rare. These types of errors can include injury to pelvic organs such as cutting of the bladder.
• Infection
• Blood clots and hemorrhaging

If you believe your child suffered an injury during or just after his or her birth due to medical negligence, the law firm of Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. can help. The seasoned Kansas City Medical Malpractice Attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. understand the devastating impact this kind of injury can have on a family. Our attorneys have helped countless families, in both Kansas and Missouri, fight to obtain just compensation. Trust our team of skilled attorneys to help you make sure that your case is handled from start to finish. Contact Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. today at (816) 472-4673 to schedule an initial consultation with one of our attorneys.

 When you are seriously sick or injured, you would think that one of the best places to be would be the hospital. While hospitals can be great places to receive medical treatment after an accident, a hospital can also be a place where “accidents” happen. The last thing any patient needs when he or she is trying to recover from an illness or surgery is to become the victim of a so called “medical error.” One of the most common errors that hospitalized patients are at risk for are what are referred to as medication errors.

A medication error simply refers to any preventable event that causes or leads to a patient being given inappropriate medication. Medication errors happen for a variety of reasons, including:

• Inadequate dosing: This occurs when the patient receives the right medication but not the correct dose. Overdosing or administering too much of a medication can be just as dangerous administer too little of a medication to a patient. For example, not enough of a medication can be the equivalent of not given the patient the medication at all. On the other hand, too much of a medication, like the pain reliever morphine can be deadly.

• Incorrect medication: Errors can also occur when a patient receives the wrong medication. This can happen when two drugs that have similar names. Taxol and Taxotere, for example, are both chemotherapy drugs, but are used for different types of cancers and have different dosing levels. Drugs like Zyrtec (allergies), Zyprexa (mental conditions) and Zantac (heartburn) have also been confused with one another—three drugs that have very different purposes.

• Failure to check new medications with current medication regime: Drugs are like people. Some drugs play very nicely with others while some drugs do not. This is why it is important for medical personnel to double check the list of medications a patient is currently on before he or she prescribes another medication

• Failure to check a patient’s drug allergies: Drug allergies are fairly common. If a patient is allergic to a particular drug or classification of drugs, the doctor or pharmacist needs to be aware of and check for allergies.
• ls are the key to a patient understanding how to correctly administer a drug. If the label fails to properly inform the patient how to administer the drug, he or she may receive too little or too much of the drug.

All patients in the hospital need to be aware of medical errors, but two groups are most at risk of serious harm from medication errors: the elderly and young children. Older adults are often on other medications, and more than half of fatal medication errors occur in adults over the age of 60. Young children are also a greater risk of harm, because drugs are often given based on a person’s weight.

If you believe that you or a loved one was a victim of medical malpractice, it is of great importance that you seek out an experienced Kansas City Medical Malpractice Attorney. Proving a case of medical malpractice requires key knowledge of the law and diligence investigating the facts. The Kansas City Medical Malpractice Attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. have helped countless injured victims around the area, both in Kansas and Missouri, and know how to prove a case. To find out how the attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. can help you, contact our office today at (816) 472-4673 to schedule a consultation. At Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. we strive to provide injury victims with superb legal services.