What is HIE? Over the last few weeks we have had an increase in people subscribing to our social media pages asking about HIE. For many of these families they are new to the HIE  journey. They had no idea of this medical condition. From what may have caused the condition, to what are the long term ramifications, what is HIE is an important question. Below we will delve into the HIE question from a medical legal standpoint.

What Is HIE?

HIE stands for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. In other words this is a reduction of blood and oxygen which can lead to a brain injury. In the context of birth injury cases HIE can be devastating for a baby. One does not need to be a medical doctor to understand the importance of blood and oxygen for human survival.

There can be a number of things which can cause a baby to have a reduction of blood and oxygen during not only pregnancy, but also labor and delivery. One common cause can be umbilical cord compression. In addition, if there are problems with say the placenta or the uterus, these things can also impact a baby’s blood and oxygen levels. For example, placental abruption or uterine rupture can lead to blood and oxygen problems for a baby.

Unfortunately, at this point in time there is no cure for the traumatic brain injury HIE. There are certain types of therapies and other treatments which are available but there is no cure. For some babies who meet certain criteria, hypothermia cooling can be an option to help slow the damage to a baby’s brain.

When doing an investigation as to the calls of a babies HIE diagnosis, verb injury attorneys like myself will review all of the facts surrounding not only mom‘s pregnancy, but labor and delivery. Review of the records from the electronic fetal heart monitor are equally important to help get a picture as to your baby’s well-being in real time during labor and delivery.

If you have more questions about your baby’s HIE diagnosis I invite you to contact me at my information below. I speak with families like yours all the time about these type of traumatic brain issues and I would be happy to listen to your baby’s story.

Marcus B. Boston, Esq.

Boston Law Group, LLC

2 Wisconsin Circle Suite 700

Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815

1-833-422-2943

 

 
Marcus Boston is a Maryland medical malpractice attorney who helps people navigate the Maryland childbirth injury and medical malpractice process to get money for their injuries caused by the carelessness of doctors and hospitals. BLG handles cases in Prince George’s County, Baltimore City, Montgomery County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and all other Maryland Counties. blgesq.com blgesq Maryland birth injury attorneys