Today’s video will focus on asking doctors questions following a baby’s HIE birth injury. To put the question another way, is it ok for families to ask doctors questions following a baby sustaining a brain injury? One of the reasons why I am discussing this is because in my interviews with families who have had a baby suffer an HIE birth injury, there can some confusion as to is it essentially ok to ask questions and voice concerns.
Much of the above confusion comes in play because doctors are trusted to do what is best for the patient. With that said, just because it is thought that doctors will do what is best for a patient, this does not mean that parents cannot look to have their question and concerns addressed.
Asking Doctors Questions Following A Baby’s HIE Birth Injury…
Before getting to the three areas of concern most parents have when thinking about questions, it is important to remember that when asking question to the doctors and medical professionals it is a good idea to get an understanding as to why a treatment is or is not needed. When questions are asked, the medical professionals can give their reasons as to why something may or may not be needed.
The first area of concern, and these are not in order by level of importance, when it is suspected that a baby has an HIE birth injury, is whether a head ultrasound will be done. Ultrasound technology can be helpful to families because it can not only reveal possible hemorrhaging, but whether the possible issues presented occurred earlier in the process (during pregnancy). The 24 hour ultrasound following a suspected brain injury is something that can be extremely helpful for parents in understanding what may have happened to their baby.
The second area of concern is whether an early MRI is needed. MRI technology, like an ultrasound, can be critical in understanding the suspected brain injury. MRI technology is however, better equipped to get into more detail than the ultrasound. MRI scans can detect the injury pattern present and document lesions, among other things. Another benefit to an early MRI is if subsequent MRI scans are performed, a comparison of the subsequent MRIs can be made against the early imaging. Again, all of this type of information can be essential for parents to understand their baby’s injury.
Finally, parents may also want to know if there is a suspected brain injury, or if one has been diagnosed, whether hypothermia cooling is an option. If the current hospital cannot perform the cooling, parents may want to know will there be a transfer to another facility that can perform the cooling? Hypothermia cooling is being deployed in a lot of HIE and suspected HIE brain injury cases nowadays. The cooling is not a cure as to the injury, but the treatment can work to help slow the injury.
Parents have to remember that at the end of the day, they have to be sure that they are doing everything they can to understand their baby’s HIE injury. As I stated above, it is fine to voice your concerns and questions as to this process. Not only should parents just focus on the injury, but also an understanding as to how this injury may manifest in the future for their baby. Asking doctors questions following a baby’s HIE birth injury is something that should be normalized.
To speak with me further regarding your baby’s HIE birth injury, you can reach me at my contact information below. It costs nothing initially to speak with me about your baby’s journey.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
9701 Apollo Dr. Suite 100
Largo, Maryland 20774
1-833-4 BABY HELP