Denver Infant Seizure Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Medical Malpractice Lawyers Represent Victims of Infant Seizures in Denver

Infant seizures may be caused or exasperated by substandard medical treatment, such as birth injuries, lack of proper monitoring, inadequate prenatal care, misdiagnosis, and delayed diagnosis. If you have concerns about the medical treatment your child has received, contact the experienced Denver infant seizures attorneys at Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. We've been getting justice for victims of medical malpractice in Denver for over 40 years.

Our firm has won millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients, and partner Jim Puga won a record-breaking $17.9 million medical malpractice verdict. Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. has an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell, and Super Lawyers gives us high marks based on peer reviews and independent research.

There's no charge for your initial consultation - call our Denver birth injury attorneys at (303) 759-9945 or toll-free at (877) 433-3906 to learn more today.

What Is an Infant Seizure and Why Is it Important to Know?

Infant seizures are sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbances in the brain of an infant, typically under one year of age. These disturbances may result in changes in behavior, movements, or consciousness. Medically, seizures are classified based on their presentation and the part of the brain affected. They may be focal, affecting one part of the brain, or generalized, affecting the entire brain. Diagnosis often involves a combination of clinical evaluation, electroencephalograms (EEGs), and imaging studies like MRIs or CT scans.

Recognizing the symptoms of infant seizures is essential for timely intervention. Common signs include sudden jerking movements, stiffening of the body, or repetitive, jerky motions. Sometimes, seizures present less obvious indicators such as staring spells, sudden cessation of activity, or unusual eye movements. Infants may also exhibit subtle symptoms like lip-smacking, tongue thrusting, or brief periods of altered consciousness. Seizures may also involve more severe symptoms, such as rhythmic muscle contractions, breathing difficulties, or loss of bladder control.

Understanding the Long-Term Effects of Infant Seizures

The long-term effects of infant seizures can be severe. Early recognition and timely treatment are crucial in reducing these risks and developing a better prognosis for the child. Persistent seizures may lead to significant neurological damage, affecting cognitive development, motor skills, and overall brain function. This can result in developmental delays, learning disabilities, and behavioral issues that may persist into childhood and beyond.

Seizures may cause permanent brain injury, leading to conditions such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy. Recurrent seizures can impact an infant's quality of life, leading to frequent hospitalizations and the need for ongoing medical care.

Common Types of Infant Seizures

Neonatal seizures are seizures that occur in newborns within the first 28 days of life, often within the first week. These seizures are typically a sign of an underlying neurological condition. They can be caused by a variety of factors, including infections, metabolic disorders, brain malformations, and a birth injury called birth injury hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) that's caused by oxygen deprivation and limited blood blow to the brain. Neonatal often consists of subtle, brief episodes of abnormal movements such as repetitive facial movements, blinking, sucking, or sudden jerking of the limbs.

Febrile seizures are convulsions triggered by a fever, typically occurring in children between six months and five years old. These seizures are the most common type of seizures in young children and are generally linked to a rapid rise in body temperature, often due to an infection. Unlike other types of seizures, febrile seizures are not indicative of an underlying neurological condition. There are two types of febrile seizures – simple and complex. Simple febrile seizures are brief, lasting less than 15 minutes, and do not recur within 24 hours. These seizures often involve generalized convulsions with shaking or twitching of the body. Complex febrile seizures last longer than 15 minutes, may recur within 24 hours, and can affect one side of the body.

Infantile spasms, also known as West Syndrome, are a severe form of epilepsy that typically begins between four to eight months of age. These seizures are characterized by sudden, brief neck, trunk, and limbs contractions, often occurring in clusters. A hallmark of infantile spasms is the jackknife seizure, where the infant's body bends forward with arms and legs stiffening. These spasms usually happen upon waking or falling asleep. Infantile spasms are associated with a specific pattern on an electroencephalogram (EEG) called hypsarrhythmia, which signifies chaotic brain wave activity. Infantile spasms can be symptomatic, resulting from underlying brain abnormalities, or cryptogenic, where no clear cause is identified.

Focal (partial) seizures originate in a specific area of the brain and can present with a variety of symptoms depending on the affected region. In infants, these seizures may manifest as abnormal movements, such as jerking of one limb or one side of the body, repetitive movements like lip-smacking, or unusual eye movements. They can also cause changes in behavior, such as sudden crying, laughing, or altered consciousness. Focal seizures are classified into two types. During a simple focal seizure, the infant remains conscious, but consciousness is impaired when a complex focal seizure occurs.

Generalized seizures involve abnormal electrical activity across the entire brain, leading to widespread and often dramatic symptoms. In infants, these seizures can present as tonic-clonic seizures, where the body stiffens (tonic phase) followed by rhythmic jerking of the limbs (clonic phase). Other types of general seizures include absence seizures, which cause brief periods of staring or lack of responsiveness, and myoclonic seizures, characterized by sudden, brief muscle jerks.

Link Between Medical Malpractice and Infant Seizures

When hospitals, doctors, and other medical professionals fail to live up to the standard of care for infants with seizures, it may be medical malpractice. When healthcare providers miss or delay the diagnosis of seizures, the infant may not receive the necessary interventions to prevent brain damage and developmental delays.

Misdiagnosis of infant seizures is a serious medical oversight that can lead to severe and lasting consequences. This negligence may occur for various reasons, such as misinterpreting symptoms, inadequate monitoring, or improper diagnostic testing like electroencephalograms (EEGs) and imaging studies. Undiagnosed seizures can result in prolonged uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, exacerbating the risk of permanent neurological damage. This can affect cognitive function, motor skills, and overall development, potentially leading to conditions such as epilepsy or cerebral palsy.

Medication errors in the management of infant seizures can have devastating consequences. These errors may include administering the wrong medication, incorrect dosages, or failing to monitor for adverse reactions. Such mistakes can exacerbate the infant's condition, leading to uncontrolled seizures, further brain damage, and additional health complications.

Birth injuries caused by improper management during birth can lead to infant seizures. Factors such as prolonged labor, improper use of delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors, and failure to monitor fetal distress can cause brain injuries that trigger seizures.

Negligent prenatal care can significantly contribute to the development of infant seizures. This negligence may include the failure to diagnose and manage maternal infections, hypertension, or diabetes, all of which can adversely affect fetal development. Inadequate monitoring of fetal growth and failure to identify complications such as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or placental insufficiency can also increase the risk of seizures after birth.

Failure to monitor an infant during and after birth can lead to unnoticed conditions that may cause seizures. Inadequate monitoring can result in missed signs of fetal distress, hypoxia, or metabolic imbalances, all of which can trigger seizures.

Contact Our Infant Seizure Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Denver

During your no-cost consultation, the experienced Colorado medical malpractice lawyers at Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. can review your case and advise you on the best strategy for moving forward. If your child was injured by medical malpractice, compensation may be available to cover the cost of your medical bills and other expenses.

Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. won't charge you anything unless we win you a settlement. Call our Denver infant seizure lawyers at (303) 759-9945 or toll-free at (877) 433-3906 to learn more today.