Cerebral Palsy sometimes results from Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). This is where a baby’s brain is deprived of oxygen and blood, causing brain tissue to die. The extent of the brain damage will depend on how long oxygen and blood was denied to the brain and what parts of the brain were most affected.
Hypoxic brain injuries can be caused by:
- medical negligence in the form of negligent pre-natal care, labour and delivery, or care of the baby
- Failure to monitor and treat foetal distress eg. errors made in interpreting a CTG reading produced by a foetal heart rate monitor.
- Prolonged labour, including the inappropriate use of medication
- Mistakes made with the administration of anaesthesia to the mother
- Foetal stroke caused by the negligent use of forceps and vacuum extractors. This can cause the baby to have a stroke, which can lead to severe oxygen deprivation.
- Preeclampsia and eclampsia: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy condition in which the mother has high blood pressure which can result in reduced blood flow to the baby. The high blood pressure can damage or lead to a constriction of the vessels in the placenta. Preeclampsia can predispose a baby to hypoxia or low oxygen levels and therefore potential brain damage.
- Trauma during birth which results in a serious brain injury to the baby
- Misdiagnosed meningitis in a baby
- Infections during pregnancy. One such infection is Group B Strep (GBS) a bacterial infection which can be acquired by a baby during birth. If a A GBS infection is misdiagnosed or diagnosed late in a baby, this could lead to meningitis and the associated risk of a serious brain injury and cerebral palsy.
- Birth complications such as detachment of the placenta, uterine rupture, or problems with the umbilical cord during birth can affect the oxygen supply to a baby.
