Birth injuries, medical malpractice, traumatic accidents, and sports injuries are four causes of low oxygen to the brain. There are many reasons why a person might suffer from a lack of oxygen to the brain, also known as brain hypoxia. This occurs when the brain is not getting the oxygen it needs to function properly. The oxygen supply must be restored as soon as possible to prevent lasting impairments, coma, or death.
Often, the causes of brain hypoxia are preventable. If someone else caused you or a loved one to experience a lack of oxygen to the brain, a New York personal injury lawyer will help you pursue justice and hold that party legally accountable.
Keep reading to learn some of the most common preventable causes of brain hypoxia.
- What Are Some of the Most Common Causes of Brain Hypoxia?
- When Does Low Flow of Oxygen to the Brain Support a Lawsuit?
- How Will a Brain Injury Attorney Help You?
- Discuss Your Hypoxic Brain Injury Case With Our Team for Free
What Are Some of the Most Common Causes of Brain Hypoxia?
When the brain does not get the oxygen it needs—regardless of cause—lasting medical conditions could occur. You could suffer memory loss, inattention, difficulty with motor functions, seizures, coma, and death.
Risk factors for low oxygen to the brain include:
Birth Injuries
Birth Hypoxia or birth asphyxia occurs before, during, or immediately following a baby’s birth. The baby could suffer lasting impairments and require lifelong medical care and support because the brain and other organs did not receive the necessary oxygen and nutrients to function properly.
Often, this occurs because of preventable birth injuries. Doctors overseeing pregnancies and deliveries must monitor mothers and babies closely to ensure they are aware of any potential problems. There are strict protocols your medical team must follow for a successful delivery.
Some concerns, complications, and injuries that could cause cerebral hypoxia include:
- A long or difficult delivery without intervention
- Unaddressed issues with the umbilical cord during delivery
- A serious infection passed on to the baby
- Too high or low blood pressure in the mother
- Not properly suctioning the baby after delivery
- The baby becomes stuck in the birth canal
- Traumatic brain injury during or after delivery
Anything that interrupts oxygen flow to the brain could lead to a serious injury.
Medical Malpractice
When a physician, surgeon, or another medical care provider acts negligently, and a patient suffers injuries, this is medical malpractice. Malpractice that causes brain hypoxia could occur in many ways:
- Surgical negligence
- Medication mistakes
- Issues with ventilation equipment or techniques
- Preventable complications such as strokes
- Anesthesia mistakes and complications
- Prescription drug overdose
- Failure to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or other lung conditions
- Traumatic brain injuries that occur in the hospital, often from falls or dropping a patient
Sometimes, oxygen deficiency occurs because of a complication or known risk that is not preventable. When you work with a medical malpractice attorney from our team, we will call in medical experts who will assess your case and determine if malpractice occurred and led to your brain injuries.
Traumatic Accidents
Almost any type of traumatic accident could lead to brain hypoxia when certain injuries occur. This includes car accidents, truck accidents, and construction accidents. Some of the ways a personal injury accident could trigger brain hypoxia include:
- Smoke inhalation if there is fire
- Trauma to the face, throat, chest, or lungs
- Significant blood loss
- Traumatic brain injuries
Often, those hurt in these incidents have additional injuries, too. This could mean rehabilitating from broken bones, serious lacerations, and more while also working to recover from a hypoxic brain injury.
Certain Sports Injuries
Recreational or competitive sports are common causes of traumatic injuries to athletes. In addition to accidents where runners or cyclists are hit by cars, there are numerous risks associated with playing certain sports. Traumatic and hypoxic brain injuries could occur in almost any sport, but some of the most risky include:
- Boxing
- Football
- Rugby
- Diving
- Mountain climbing
It is important to note that a common cause of low oxygen to the brain in children is drowning. This often occurs while swimming or diving, whether in a pool at home, a community pool, or open water. Drowning also occurs in other places, such as bathtubs and even buckets.
For a free legal consultation, call 516-932-0400
When Does Low Flow of Oxygen to the Brain Support a Lawsuit?
Under some circumstances, those with hypoxic brain injuries and their families are able to seek appropriate compensation from the party or parties who caused their injuries. This is generally true when negligence caused the incident that led to the brain injury. Examples include traffic accidents, slips and falls, construction accidents, medical malpractice, birth injuries, and some drownings.
One way to learn if you have a civil case against the careless or reckless party who caused your injuries is to speak to a representative from a law firm that handles these cases.
If you have a case, your lawyer will document and evaluate the damages you incurred and handle your claim for an appropriate payout. Some types of recoverable damages include:
- Current and future medical bills
- Income losses, present and future
- Reduced ability to work and earn a living
- Miscellaneous expenses
- Pain and suffering
How Will a Brain Injury Attorney Help You?
A brain injury lawyer will handle your case from start to finish. You should focus fully on rehabilitation and recovery or taking care of a loved one with life-altering brain injuries.
When you hire an attorney to manage a brain injury case and handle your insurance claim or lawsuit, you should expect them to:
- Provide you with regular case updates
- Identify the liable parties
- Communicate with all parties for you
- Investigate what happened and gather evidence
- Determine a value for your case
- Advocate relentlessly on your behalf to win the best possible case outcome
They will build a compelling case to hold the liable party or parties accountable and show their insurance carrier that you deserve an appropriate settlement. This could include presenting official documents, eyewitness interviews, and expert opinions. Expert witnesses could include medical experts, vocational rehabilitation specialists, life care planners, and economists.
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Discuss Your Hypoxic Brain Injury Case With Our Team for Free
Friedman & Simon, L.L.P., provides complimentary consultations for injury victims and their families on Long Island or elsewhere in the greater NYC area. Call us or use our online contact form to get your free case assessment today.
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