Philadelphia Birth Injury Lawyer Blog

Cerebral Palsy rates have been increasing in premature infants born in Pennsylvania and nationwide. A new study has discovered a link between premature births, an inflamed umbilical cord and cerebral palsy.

Doctors have studied over 200 placentas from preterm births and have found that cerebral palsy is associated with inflammation in the connective tissue of the umbilical cord. The inflammation usually leads to an infection and is most common in preterm births or a premature rupturing of the amniotic sac. Infants born premature due to preeclampsia are less likely to have the inflammation.

Doctors and researchers hope to use this information to reduce the risk of birth injuries by treating the inflamed tissue in the umbilical cord.

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Research Sheds Light on Increasing Cerebral Palsy Rates Among Preemies

A three year old cerebral palsy child who is participating in a cord blood treatment study at Duke University has rapidly shown improvement in motor functions and speech.

The child is participating in a study in which the child is infused with cord blood cells banked by their parents at birth. The injection took about 15 minutes and her parents are already calling the treatment a miracle. Before the treatment her right hand was always clenched and virtually no use to her and now her right hand has opened up and she is beginning to use both hands. Her speech has also greatly improved and she is now able to walk flatfooted with the support of a leg brace. Her parents believe she is about 85 percent cured of cerebral palsy.

While researchers will not be able to scientifically prove that the treatment will correct problems associated with cerebral palsy until the study is complete, anecdotal evidence is giving parents with cerebral palsy hope that someday their child will be able to lead a more normal life.

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Child's own stem cells help her cerebral palsy

A study combing a Russian space suit and aggressive physical therapy has helped children with cerebral palsy increase movement and motor function. The impressive results of this study should have it spreading to Pennsylvania and other states nationwide.

The TheraSuit was originally designed for Russian Cosmonauts but was bought to the United States by two Russian physical therapists to aid with their daughter's cerebral palsy. The suit works by keeping the body properly aligned and applying compression to muscle through a series of bungee cords. Pressure applied by the cords enables patients to better feel their body which provides stabilization and normalizes gait. The suit also helps to improve balance and coordination, while supporting weak muscles. While in the suit the children are engaged in specific and aggressive physical therapy that lasts up to four hours day, five days a week. A typical therapy session for a cerebral palsy patient may be an hour a day, three times a week.

The pilot program ended with exceptional results. Improvements were seen in strength, coordination, balance, movement control and range of motion. Over 90% of participants experienced functional improvements and learned to roll independently, 75% are now sitting without assistance, and almost 40% are standing on their own. Over 20% learned to walk independently and over 30% can walk with assisted devices. Studies are currently being conducted to see how the suit and therapy can be used to assist those suffering from traumatic brain injuries, developmental delays, strokes, low muscle tone and ataxia.

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Special Suit Helps Kids With Cerebral Palsy Walk

The American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society have released reports on the beneficial uses of Botox injections and the drug diazepam to help reduce the effects of muscle spasticity in children suffering from the cerebral palsy.

The study states that botulinum toxin injections, Botox, are an effective way to reduce spasticity and muscle tightness that reduces movement in children and young adults. According to the study Botox imposes only a slight risk of generalized weakness after an injection. The Drugs, diazepam and tizanidine were also named in the study but for short term use and with a higher risk of side effects.

Several other treatments and medications were examined in the study but they could not gather enough research to make recommendations. Researchers attest there is an urgent need for more research to establish definitive recommendations for current and future medications and treatment for those suffering from birth injuries such as cerebral palsy.

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New Guidelines Suggest Botox for Cerebral Palsy

There may be hope for Philadelphia parents and their children born with cerebral palsy. A study is currently being conducted to test the effect cord blood has on cerebral palsy.

Doctors have injected 150 children suffering from cerebral palsy with their own umbilical cord blood cells in hope that the cells can repair some of the damage done by the birth defect. Doctors have already had success with cord blood when used to treat other neurological diseases but its use with cerebral palsy patients is still in its infancy.

One year after the infusion the children will be studied to see if there are any improvements in their neurological state or muscle movement. Doctors are optimistic that the treatment should benefit the children because of their work with cord blood in animals and with other diseases.

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Doctors Use Baby's Cord Blood to Treat Diseases

Prenatal health and care is important to every Philadelphia Pregnant woman and an important link between brain development and folic acid may have been forgotten about. Folic acid also known as vitamin B helps the fetal neural tube properly develop into the child's central nervous system.

According the March of Dimes, 70% of neural tube defects are preventable if folic acid is digested within the first few weeks of pregnancy when the neural tube is developing. Birth defects associated with a neural tube defect include spina bifida and anencephaly. Spina bifida occurs when some vertebrate are not fully formed, leaving the spinal cord open and unfused. If the hole is large enough the spinal cord may stick out from the bones. The deadly anencephaly occurs when the neural tube does not full develop into the cerebrum. The child will be born without an underdeveloped brain and major portions of the head and scalp may be missing.

Folic acid was once well known to be an important vitamin in prenatal care but fewer women know that now when compared with years ago. Some states, like Utah have begun to educate women on the importance of folic acid and distribute the vitamin to pregnant women in an attempt to decrease the amount of babies born with a neural tube defect.

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Neural Tube Birth Defects on the Rise

Pregnant Philadelphia women have a new tool to assess whether their child may develop neurological or cognitive problems. Neurologists have reported that children born with small heads (microcephaly) may have a higher risk of developing cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cognitive delays, learning disabilities, mental retardation, and eye and ear disorders.

Each year almost 30,000 children in the United States are born with a head circumference smaller than that of 97 percent of children. The condition is referred to microcephaly in the medical community and can be diagnosed somewhere between birth and the age of two. While not a problem in and of itself, forty percent of children with microcephaly also have epilepsy, twenty percent also have cerebral palsy, 50 percent also have mental retardation and 20 to 50 percent also have eye and ear problems.

Parents of children with microcephaly should have their pediatricians observe and evaluate their children for possible neurological conditions. Diagnostic tests such as MRIs or CT scans may be used to test children for the neurological conditions associated with microcephaly. Microcephaly presents with serious conditions that may require a lifetime of care and treatment. The earlier a child is diagnosed with a neurological condition such as cerebral palsy, the sooner the proper care, treatment and resources can be obtained. Even if a small head circumference runs in your family it is important that your child is evaluated and tested. Fortunately, not all children with microcephaly will develop health issues or have learning disabilities.

Early diagnosing of cerebral palsy is important and beneficial to children and their parents for early intervention. Currently most children with cerebral palsy are not diagnosed until parents recognize that their children have failed to reach normal developmental milestones often somewhere between their first and third birthdays. However recognizing microcephaly in children at birth can better assist parents and doctors in early recognition and intervention. While there is no known cure for cerebral palsy there are many opportunities available to parents to assist and provide for the care and treatment their children's disabilities and treatment options. Whether your child suffers from spastic, athetoid, ataxic or mixed cerebral palsy early recognition with microcephaly at birth may assist in earlier diagnosis, care and treatment. In the future earlier recognition and assessment of neurological conditions in children will lead to earlier treatment interventions.

If you believe that your child suffers from cerebral palsy or other associated neurological conditions that may be the result of a doctor or hospital's negligence please contact our experienced attorneys today to discuss your case.

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The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Some cerebral palsy patients are now improving their abilities to swallow through an unconventional treatment method.

The Vital Stim treatment method used primarily in assisting stroke victims with swallowing appears to help cerebral palsy patients with their abilities to speak and swallow. Using the Vital Stim method, a speech language pathologist used neuromuscular electrical stimulation along one child's throat and face. This noninvasive treatment is used for stimulation of the nerves along these parts of the body and to trigger muscles that are used when swallowing to help cerebral palsy victims with these body functions. On one reported patient, the pathologist uses the Vital Stim three times a week for as long as an hour. The pathologist reports that the stimulation appears to improve the patient's muscle tone and his speaking ability.

When Vital Stim treatments are conducted, a small electrical current is sent through the patient's nerves and muscles noninvasively.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found a possible link between vaginal deliveries with operations and birth injuries.

In the study an operative vaginal delivery is when a physician uses forceps or a vacuum extraction to pull the baby through a birth canal. The study found that the risk of baby injury is at the highest level when both the forceps and the vacuum extraction methods are used. In addition, the baby in the delivery was found to be most likely hurt during birth, when the operative vaginal delivery is unsuccessful.

The study found that babies born with a cesarean section are no more greatly injured than babies born using forceps or vacuum extraction.

A new study shows that mother height and the weight of the child at the time of birth are correlated with birth injury. A recent study published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found a correlation between birth injuries and shorter mothers and fetal macrosomia.

The study looked at more than 14,000 births. Of these births, about 280 of them resulted in injuries of the babies. The babies who were born with injuries tended to be to women who were shorter in stature and had lower birthweights than normal. The main birth injuries that occurred during this time included brachial plexus injuries, shoulder dystocia and anal sphincter rupture in the mothers.

The study was conducted in a university hospital setting over a five-and-a-half-year period.

A new study of young cerebral palsy patients at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, found that a stimulation of the deep parts of the brain relieves dystonia symptoms. The hospital conducted deep brain stimulation in six patients who were eight to 26 years old and who each had a birth brain injury. After the study, doctors said the patients experienced improved dystonia scores, after deep brain stimulation. The children experienced the greatest improvement of cerebral palsy symptoms in their arms, according to one doctor involved with the study.

The study found that deep brain stimulation assisted with the youngest of patients more so than the older patients, probably due to the fact that older cerebral palsy patients experience more fixed impairments.

One thing to note about this study is that it was a small study of only six patients at one medical facility. However, the results do provide hope for many young cerebral palsy patients with low dystonia scores. Many physicians agree that more research is needed in this area before sweeping generalizations can be made about deep brain stimulation.

Three families are hopeful after seeing a decrease in cerebral palsy symptoms after their children's recent surgical procedures.

The three birth injury patients were recently operated upon at their local hospital. After the surgery, doctors announced that the treatment had been successful and that the families should expect improvement in their children's movement and muscle ability.

All three of the children are bed-ridden and need support to perform simple tasks. The first child, a six-year-old boy, could not walk or sit before the surgery. His parents are now seeing improvements in these areas. The second child is a class II student that had multiple deformities that were operated on. He will be undergoing physiotherapy to help with his cerebral palsy. The third child, a seven-year-old boy, was able to receive the free treatment after being accepted into a government school. Doctors claim that, due to the surgery, he should be able to walk soon. To the boy's father, the cerebral palsy treatment was a dream come true.

Engineers at MIT are in the process of developing robotic devices that can be used as a form of cerebral palsy treatment.

The robotic devices that are being built are designed to help those experiencing cerebral palsy symptoms. The devices allow birth injury patients to learn how to control their arms and legs. The engineers had originally designed the devices to help stroke patients but are now testing them on cerebral palsy patients. The suite of robots has been used in clinical trials for more than 15 years. The suite has helped patients with movement issues in their wrists, hands, ankles, shoulders and elbows.

The MIT engineers claim that the devices will help to rebuild brain connections that guide limbs when patients try to make a specific movement. Since children's brains are more plastic and able to establish new connections, the engineers have hope that the treatment will help.

The team of engineers is using the robotic devices to help cerebral palsy patients reach and grasp objects. The device is connected to a computer monitor that displays tasks for the patients.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new warning for the use of Botox with cerebral palsy patients.

The new warning is an update to the 2008 safety warning issued by the FDA. This warning will now be added to the product label and patient information of all Botox products. The FDA said that the use of Botox in pediatric cerebral palsy and birth injury patients was never approved. It was also never approved to help those experiencing cerebral palsy symptoms such as spastic muscles.

Although the FDA had previously given the warning, Botox has recently become a widely accepted form of treatment for cerebral palsy patients. This form of treatment is often used at pediatric and orthopedic clinics around the country.

The new research provided by the FDA shows that the amount of botulinum toxin found in Botox can have drastic side effects on children. These side effects can include difficulty breathing, muscular weakness, drooping eyelids, speech disorder, difficulty swallowing, double vision and facial drooping. The FDA requests that all signs of these side effects should be reported to MedWatch.

A hospital is now giving cerebral palsy patients the opportunity to receive hyperbaric treatments for free.

In association with the Turtle Island Oxygen Trust, the Hyperbaric Medical Center in New Mexico is now offering free hyperbaric treatments to those who are suffering from cerebral palsy. Over the past few years, hyperbaric treatments have become increasingly popular for cerebral palsy patients.

Most 3rd parties do not reimburse birth injury patients for hyperbaric treatment unless the child is suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning or decompression sickness. After realizing this, the hospital decided to offer this form of cerebral palsy treatment for free. The free treatment is not only for cerebral palsy patients. It is also offered to those suffering from autism.

The director at the hospital feels that those who are experiencing cerebral palsy symptoms should not have to wait through a long application process to be accepted for treatment. He said that cerebral palsy patients are able to receive the treatment they need in a timely fashion. In order to receive the cerebral palsy treatment, patients need only to fill out a simple form before being accepted.