Chicago Personal Injury Attorney, Illinois Lawyers, Birth Injury

Medical Malpractice Cases Involving C. Difficile (Clostridium Difficile)

March 11, 2010 – 5:46 am

Clostridium difficile is a species of gram positive bacterias which causes diarrhea and other intestinal disease when competing bacteria are wiped out by other antibiotics. C. difficile is the most serious cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and can lead to pseudomembranous colitis, a severe infection of the colon, sepsis, and sometimes death.

Although many cases of C. difficile are unavoidable, there are a number of instances when the disease is contracted due to medical malpractice. In cases of suspected negligence you are fully within your rights to make a claim for compensation against the hospital involved. Often the physicians committed medical malpractice in one or more of the following ways:

Failure to diagnose;
Failure to provide timely and adequate treatment;
Failure to test or treat;
Failure to communicate the diagnosis; and
Failure to have adequate policies in place to treat or control the infection. Read More »

Tagged attorney, C. difficile, Chicago, Chicago attorney, Clostridium difficile, Jay Paul Deratany, medical malpractice, medical negligence, misdiagnosis

Doctor Reprimanded in Erb’s Palsy Birth Injury Case in California

March 10, 2010 – 10:48 am

An OB-GYN doctor in California has been reprimanded by that state’s medical board for birth injuries caused during the difficult delivery of a large baby.

According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the doctor was accused of negligence and incompetence following the Sept. 2002 delivery of a baby weighing more than 9 pounds to a 26-year-old mother. The birth took place at Watsonville Community Hospital in California.

The report stated that the doctor was reprimanded for actions leading up to a birth injury, including failing to follow-up on earlier tests that showed the mother to have gestational diabetes — a condition that can complicate the birthing process. Overweight mothers carrying large infants are at greater risk for birth injuries that occur during difficult vaginal births.

The Sentinel reported that the doctor used excessive suction pulls to deliver the baby, whose shoulder got stuck behind the mother’s pubic bone (a birthing difficulty sometimes referred to as Shoulder Dystocia). The infant was later diagnosed with Erbs Palsy — a condition resulting from nerve damage that causes paralysis of the muscles in the shoulder, arm and hand. Read More »

Tagged birth injury, california, Chicago, Chicago attorney, Chicago Personal Injury Attorney, erb's palsy, illinois, infant, Jay Paul Deratany, personal injury, Shoulder Dystocia

Injured in a Slip and Fall Accident? Call Chicago Premises Liability Attorneys at The Deratany Firm for a Free Consultation

March 9, 2010 – 5:36 am

A large percentage of personal injury lawsuits arise out of slip and fall cases. Typically, these cases involve an area of law known as A premises liability. These accidents can occur while on the premises of any type of property owners, including malls, restaurants, stores, and parking lots. Property owners and possessors owe different degrees of responsibility, or duties, to people who come onto their property, depending on how such people are categorized. If you are injured on the property of another, whether residential or commercial property, you will often have a cause of action against that property owner for the injuries you received. Read More »

Tagged attorney, Chicago, Chicago attorney, illinois, Jay Paul Deratany, Law Firm, lawyer, personal injury lawsuit, premesis liability, slip & fall, slip and fall

Have You Suffered a Loss Due to Medical Malpractice? Claim Your Medical Negligence Compensation

March 9, 2010 – 5:28 am

We all like to trust out doctors, unfortunately sometimes mistakes do happen and these can be things out of the doctor’s control or can be unnecessary negligence. If this is the case, you may be eligible to receive medical negligence compensation by making a medical malpractice claim.

Medical negligence is the term used for any error caused either deliberately or accidentally by a medical practitioner that led to injury or death of the patient.

If you were misdiagnosed by a doctor and this resulted in you receiving the wrong treatment or no treatment at all you could be compensated. If there was a surgical error, a prescription error or even an error in the delivery room where your baby was misdiagnosed you could be awarded damages.

If the damage caused by the doctor resulted in you suffering a loss of income or spending additional money you could be refunded that that money and more. For instance if you were not able to work due to the injury or if you had to pay for medical treatment or care as a result of the injury. This type of compensation is called compensatory damages and is easier to prove as you will have receipts for the money you spent.

If the damages caused were more emotional, psychological or related to quality of life then you will be awarded punitive damages. This case is harder to prove as there is not physical evidence.

The amount of medical negligence compensation which is awarded in your medical malpractice claim can be quite substantial but the amount is ultimately determined by the judge presiding over the case and it depends on the injury sustained and the damages or losses incurred.

Medical negligence is a serious offense as it can lead to death. In America, as many as 98 000 deaths could have been avoided as they were caused my negligent doctors.

If you do not file the claim then do it for fellow patients as if your claim causes the health care professional to take responsibility for their negligent actions it could ensure that this does not happen to anyone else. Even though you may not be able to regain everything that you have lost, you could at least be compensated for any costs involved.

The most important thing to remember when planning on filing a case is to find a lawyer that you trust. The best way of choosing a lawyer is to ask around and go with a firm that has been recommended by people that you know personally that has used this lawyer in the past. Word of mouth is the best reference. A medical negligence compensation trial can be a very long procedure but it could be well worth it in the end. Read More »

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Cesarean Sections and Birth Injury

March 8, 2010 – 9:49 am

Cesarean Sections can be the cause of and the solution to many birth injuries, both to the mother and the child. Because of the invasive nature of the procedure, many mothers are reluctant to undergo the procedure in the hopes of giving birth naturally. While these concerns are certainly legitimate, it is your doctor’s duty to determine the best course of delivery for you and your child. For example, the drug Pitocin has been touted as an alternative to C-Section delivery. The use of the drug may present dangers that would make a C-Section a safer alternative. Read More »

Tagged birth injury, c-section, Cesarean section, Chicago, Chicago attorney, Jay Paul Deratany, personal injury, Pitocin, The Deratany Firm

Nursing Negligence and Fetal Birth Injuries

March 7, 2010 – 9:35 am

Often times Illinois medical malpractice cases focus on the physician’s conduct. But physicians are not the only vital members of medical teams. Nurses play a key role in surgical procedures and particularly in the birthing process. Although there is perhaps a tendency to underestimate the significance of nurses in these procedures, their negligence can be every bit as devastating as a physician’s. Negligent communication between the doctor and the nurse is a common issue in nursing negligence cases. It is imperative that doctors effectively communicate their instructions to nurses and nurses make certain to understand the doctors instructions. Read More »

Tagged attorney, Degnan, doctor, Jay Paul Deratany, lawyer, medical malpractice, nurse, nursing negligence, personal injury, physicians, The Deratany Firm

Pitocin and Fetal Birth Injuries

March 5, 2010 – 8:46 am

Pitocin is a drug that is commonly used to induce labor. Pitocin causes an increase in uterine contraction activity. The frequency, duration and intensity of contractions are likely to increase following the administration of Pitocin. While this type of increased uterine activity can be helpful in progressing the baby through the birth canal, it also presents a fair amount of danger to both the mother and the child. The increased uterine activity can cause the baby to experience physical trauma due to the increased pressure on the body.

Perhaps the greatest risk is cord compression. The umbilical cord is compressed with each contraction in any normal birthing process. But when Pitocin is used the increased uterine activity can cause the cord to be compressed too often and with too much force. In a normal birthing process the baby has the opportunity to recover from the momentary deprivation of oxygen. But the increased uterine activity that results from overuse of Pitocin prevents the baby from recovering oxygen and over time can cause traumatic injury to the brain and all major organs. Read More »

Tagged birth injury, Case Results, Chicago, Chicago attorney, child, doctor, drugs, hospital, Jay Paul Deratany, labor, personal injury, Pitocin, umbilical cord

Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Leading Cause of Birth Injury

March 3, 2010 – 8:46 am

Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, or “HIE” is a severe birth injury. HIE occurs in the perinatal stages of birth and results in the child being deprived of oxygen during the birthing process. In many cases, Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy occurs due to cord compression and other abnormalities in the birthing process. There are cases in which a child’s injury has resulted from the natural expulsive forces of labor, unfortunately many more are a result of medical negligence. Read More »