Thalamus Damage in Newborns
Thalamus Damage During Childbirth
A newborn’s brain damage at birth can have detrimental effects to their physical and cognitive functioning during childhood. Thalamus injuries in the brain can trigger nerve paralysis, motor function impairments speech impairments, delayed developmental milestones, and more.
Many different pregnancy complications and labor and delivery complications can result in a child’s brain injury. Negligent action or inaction from OB-GYNs, nurses, midwives, and all other healthcare professionals make these injuries more likely. Medical errors during birth can cause cerebral palsy and other lifelong conditions, constituting medical malpractice.
Birth Injury Malpractice Attorneys
Our top rated birth injury attorneys specialize in identifying how medical errors during delivery lead to severe birth injuries. If you or someone you know suffered from complications during labor and delivery, don’t hesitate to contact our firm. We can answer difficult legal and medical questions and investigate the facts on your behalf.
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Birth Injury Lawyers
(888) 987-0005Our Birth Injury Lawyers are available to meet you in your home or the hospital.
Our vast network of medical experts and in-house nursing staff and nurse-attorneys gives us the edge over our competition. When we take your case, we assign you with an entire medical team. This team not only consists of attorneys but also nursing advocates and medical experts.
Your team is available to assist with any day-to-day treatment you or your child may need. This includes assistance with medical records, scheduling doctors’ appointments, providing transportation, and any other problems that may arise.
We offer all of this on a contingency fee basis. This means you will not pay any fees until after we win your case and secure a settlement. Miller Weisbrod Olesky’s unmatched track record of birth injury results sets us apart from other birth injury law firms.
Recent Birth Injury Settlement:
Birth Injury settlement against a hospital in which nurses and physicians failed to properly monitor the mother's blood pressure during delivery causing an HIE event resulting in neonatal seizures and cerebral palsy at birth. Our team of top-rated birth injury lawyers recovered $13,750,000 for the family to help with future medical expenses and developmental therapy.
What is the Thalamus?
The thalamus is a tiny oval-shaped structure located near the center of the brain above the brainstem. It serves as a type of “relay station” for the brain. The thalamus processes nearly all sensory information (vision, sound, touch, taste) before sending it to the cortex.
It also relays motor signals from the brain and back to the body through the central nervous system. This is how we are able to move and control our gross motor function. The thalamus also plays smaller parts regulating many other bodily processes, including memory, alertness, focus and arousal (wakefulness).
Research suggests that the thalamus begins developing as early as the second trimester of pregnancy. By the end of the third trimester, the thalamus develops nerve fibers that extend and connect to the developing cortex.
The thalamus continues to develop after birth, helping the infant process all sensory stimulation. It is the driving force behind the baby reaching normal developmental milestones. This includes tracking movement with the eyes, responding to sounds, and learning how to crawl.
What Causes Thalamus Damage?
Thalamus damage in newborns typically stems from labor and delivery complications that restrict the baby’s access to oxygenated blood. The most common scenario is birth asphyxia as a consequence of prolonged hypoxia and ischemia during labor. There are many risk factors that can lead to birth asphyxia, including:
Umbilical Cord Problems
The umbilical cord is the vessel by which oxygenated blood and nutrients travel to the baby in utero. Complications like a nuchal cord can threaten the baby’s access to those vital nutrients, causing asphyxia.
Placental Complications
The placenta is a critical temporary organ that forms in the uterus during pregnancy. It stores and processes all the blood, oxygen, and nutrients the baby needs to grow while developing in the womb. The placenta can malfunction if it ruptures, is insufficient, or embeds too deeply within the uterine lining.
These kinds of placental complications can disrupt the child’s access to these nutrients and cause birth asphyxia during labor. Prolonged asphyxia is a considerable risk factor for brain injuries, including injury to the thalamus.
Prolonged and Arrested Labor
Very long or obstructed labor can expose the baby to extended uterine contractions, cutting off their supply of oxygenated blood. Labor and Delivery Complications like uterine hyperstimulation or shoulder dystocia can result in the baby's oxygen deprivation.
Pregnancy Complications
Different adverse maternal complications during pregnancy can block sufficient levels of oxygenated blood from reaching the baby’s brain. Examples include blood pressure complications like preeclampsia or blood clots during pregnancy. Certain maternal infections like chorioamnionitis can also cause inflammation within the baby’s brain, which can potentially lead to thalamic damage.
Medical professionals should identify any high-risk pregnancy complications during routine prenatal testing appointments. They must assess the risk each complication poses to her delivery and prepare for how it will affect her labor.
In addition to these risk factors, babies who are born prematurely are also at risk of having fragile, underdeveloped brains. And while rare, birth related head injuries like intracranial hemorrhages (brain bleeds) or skull fractures can also sometimes affect the thalamus.
Any of these factors or even a combination of multiple factors can result in thalamus damage at birth. Healthcare professionals must closely monitor fetal heart rates and other vital signs during the mother’s labor. They must quickly intervene should they notice any complications cutting off the baby’s supply of oxygen or blood flow.
What are the Complications of Thalamus Damage?
Thalamus damage can have both immediate and long-term effects on the baby’s development. The biggest birth complication is typically a cerebral palsy diagnosis.
Cerebral palsy is not a “one-size-fits-all” diagnosis. It isn’t just one condition, but rather a group of neurological conditions affecting movement, posture, balance, speaking, and cognitive functioning.
Thalamic damage is most often a precursor to a dyskinetic cerebral palsy diagnosis. This is a classification of cerebral palsy characterized by involuntary writhing, twitching, and twisting movements. It also commonly causes uncontrollable muscle contractions (a condition called cervical dystonia).
Children with cerebral palsy symptoms will typically have muscle tone issues. They may experience hypotonia (lacking muscle tone and appearing overly floppy) or hypertonia (rigid muscle tone with overly stiff limbs).
These problems with muscle tone can also affect the child’s vocal cords, resulting in speech impairments like dysarthria. These conditions can make sucking, swallowing, and feeding extremely difficult. Newborns may require feeding through a G-tube when their brain injury severely impairs their ability to suck and swallow.
Children with injuries to their thalamus will likely have difficulty processing sensory information. This can cause seizure disorders like epilepsy and lead to more long-term learning difficulties and delayed developmental milestones. They may suffer as well from vision impairments and hearing impairments.
Every child’s complications will be different, depending on the severity of their brain injury and other existing birth complications. Doctors should carefully examine the child’s progress after birth during checkups over the first years of childhood. They should monitor the child’s development to determine whether they could benefit from birth injury treatment and therapies.
How to Diagnose Thalamus Damage?
Diagnosing any brain injury requires careful monitoring from doctors both during and after delivery.
During labor, healthcare providers use electronic fetal heart rate monitoring strips to watch for any indications of fetal distress. If they notice any sudden drops in fetal heart rates, it may indicate the baby’s brain doesn’t have sufficient oxygen.
APGAR Scores
After birth, doctors immediately evaluate the baby by assigning them an APGAR score. This is a rating convention doctors use for all births to assess and communicate what treatment the baby will need. Medical professionals assign a score from 0-2 to five different categories: Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration. APGAR scores ranging from 0-3 typically indicate the baby may have sustained a brain injury.
It’s important to note that the APGAR is not always an accurate metric for diagnosis. This is because it can rely too heavily on subjective observations from the labor and delivery team. An APGAR score alone is not enough to confirm a newborn’s thalamus injury.
Neuroimaging
The medical team should also watch closely for any abnormal movements or signs of seizures. If brain damage is suspected, doctors should consider ordering specialized neuroimaging tests to scan the baby’s brain.
The most detailed neuroimaging test is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. These scans create a layered three-dimensional image which can show exactly where the injury is within the brain. Doctors favor MRI scans for newborns as they do not use radiation like some X-ray scans.
Other types of neuroimaging scans can include cranial ultrasounds or electroencephalogram (EEG) scans.
These tools can help doctors to confirm suspected cases of thalamic damage and begin planning treatment. Early diagnosis is critical to planning for a child’s specialized needs and birth injury treatments they may require throughout childhood.
How To Treat Thalamus Damage?
Treatment for thalamus damage and all other brain injuries should begin immediately after birth and continue throughout the child’s life.
Therapeutic Hypothermia Treatment
Right after birth, doctors will rush a baby with brain damage to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for stabilization. While there, they may receive supplemental oxygen from a ventilator or undergo therapeutic hypothermia treatment.
Therapeutic hypothermia involves cooling the baby’s core temperature to around 92.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Healthcare workers place the newborn in a thermal regulating machine, which are present in many neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
If there are no thermal regulating machines, they must transfer the baby to the nearest hospital with the proper equipment. On the way there, they may perform passive cooling with ice packs and fans.
After 72 hours in the cooling machine, medical staff begin to gradually rewarm the baby while monitoring their vital signs. Cooling or rewarming too quickly can harm the baby’s brain and other organs.
Birth Injury Therapies
After the neonatal period, treatment for brain injuries focuses on management and support. Brain injuries are not curable, meaning there isn’t a way for the thalamus to become “un-damaged”. However, different treatments and therapies for birth injuries exist to help improve a child’s quality of life.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy can greatly improve motor skills for children with cerebral palsy. In these environments, children can practice their strength, endurance, and fine motor skills by completing exercises and practicing everyday tasks.
If the child’s thalamus injury results in speech impairments, speech therapy may be another resource for treatment. A licensed speech therapist can help the child regain more control over their vocal cord muscles and swallowing techniques.
Assistive Equipment and Devices
The extent of a child’s disabilities will vary from case to case. Children with more severe brain injuries may require assistive equipment and communication devices to improve functionality.
Devices like wheelchairs, walkers, bath chairs, and braces can improve mobility for children with limited gross motor function capabilities.
Additionally, augmentative and alternative communication devices like hearing aids or electronic communication boards can help a child communicate and understand.
Newest Treatments for Cerebral Palsy
In severe cases, children may benefit from medical procedures to alleviate their symptoms from thalamus damage like spasticity and paralysis. The newest treatments for cerebral palsy, including stem cell therapy and Botox injections, can reduce chronic pain and muscle spasticity.
Doctors may also prescribe medications like Baclofen as another treatment to relax the muscles and reduce spasticity.
Doctors must tailor a child’s treatment for brain injuries like thalamus damage to their individual needs. In the end, the goal for each child should be the same: maximizing their abilities and eliminating barriers for participation.
Successful treatment cannot “cure” a brain injury. However, it can empower the child to engage in everyday life activities at home, in school, and within their community.
Was My Child’s Brain Damage the Result of Medical Malpractice?
Brain injuries to the thalamus are sometimes preventable with proper medical care. Birth injury negligence can result in a thalamus injury that leads to cerebral palsy later in childhood. Example include missing an umbilical cord problem, failing to respond to fetal distress, or operating errors during delivery. When these preventable errors cause permanent injuries, it can constitute medical malpractice.
If a family believes medical negligence contributed to a child’s brain damage at birth, legal support may be an option. A specialized birth injury attorney can review the medical records and circumstances to assess whether a claim exists.
Families who have experienced the effects of brain injuries deserve to know whether better medical care could have prevented them. Our top rated birth injury lawyers will help you find those answers and obtain the necessary funds to secure treatment.
Our team will thoroughly investigate the facts, holding responsible parties accountable by pursuing medical malpractice claims.
What Is the Statute of Limitations in a Birth Injury Lawsuit?
A statute of limitations (SOL) is a law that sets a time limit on how long an injured person has to file a lawsuit after an accident. It is essential to understand that statutes of limitations vary based on the case and the state where you file. For instance, the deadline for birth injury claims is typically different from other claims, such as injury to private property.
Generally, the clock starts ticking on the date the injury occurred. However, there are exceptions to this rule. In some cases, the statute of limitations starts when a person discovers or reasonably should have discovered an injury. When dealing with government agencies, SOLs can become even more complex.
For example, if the party that injured you was:
- A federal employee
- Employed by a military hospital, Veterans Administration facility, or a federally funded medical entity
You may need to file a birth injury claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). In FTCA cases, claimants must go through certain administrative procedures before filing a lawsuit. In some states, you may have less time to give notice if:
- The negligent party was a local or state government hospital.
- The doctors and medical providers are employees of a governmental entity.
If you file your case outside of the statute of limitations, the court will typically dismiss it. This means you will not be eligible to recover compensation for you or your child’s injuries. Determining when a statute of limitations begins on your case can be tricky. If you are considering pursuing compensation for a birth injury, contact an attorney as soon as possible.
How Can Our Birth Injury Attorneys Help?
Thalamus injuries during birth can lead to lifelong conditions that permanently alter a child’s capabilities. It takes an expert review of the facts of their birth to determine whether medical professionals made preventable errors.
Our Process
At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, a team of committed birth injury attorneys, nurses and paraprofessionals uses our detailed medical negligence case review process to assess your potential birth injury case.
We start by learning more about your child by gathering records to determine what happened during and after their birth. This includes a detailed review of the treatment doctors provided or failed to provide during prenatal testing appointments.
We will call in skilled medical experts who review your records and provide insight into where medical professionals went wrong. If we feel medical negligence caused or worsened your child’s brain injuries, we meet with you to discuss further.
At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment once you do. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can investigate your case and gather the evidence to support your claim.
We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will not pay any legal fees until we win your case. We do not purse any medical malpractice cases unless we fully believe we can win. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation by calling our toll-free line at (888) 987-0005. You can also reach us by filling out our online request form.
Contact National Birth Injury Lawyers
Miller Weisbrod Olesky
At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, the attorneys, nurses, and staff understand that parents of children with birth injuries feel overwhelmed. So, every client has the attention and support of a team of trained, compassionate professionals. But we don’t just offer compassion.
We offer a process to help you discover whether your child’s birth injury, HIE, cerebral palsy or brain injury was caused by a medical error.
Call our offices today at 888.987.0005 for experienced assistance in a free consultation.
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Testimonials
- Lyric C. I feel like our voice was heard in a sense of what can possibly go wrong in a delivery and finding us answers. I feel with our settlement, we are now in a comfortable position to provide for our son.
- Lyssa L. They are not just people that say “hey let's get you money and let's go” The law firm was very thorough with us. It was awesome. I don't want to cry, because I think about and it's amazing that they were able to help me and that we were able to help my son and get the story out there.
- Jay C. Throughout the process, one thing was clear to us, the ultimate interest of our child was the utmost concern of Max and his team and as parents navigating a situation like that, that was refreshing to know we had them firmly on our side. I highly recommend them.