birth defects

Newlyweds Sue Hospital for Medical Malpractice Over Sick Daughter

A newlywed couple is suing two Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH) doctors over an alleged improperly performed birth that left their newborn daughter permanently injured with cerebral palsy. The couple filed the lawsuit in early 2016 in the Hampshire Superior Court. According to the lawsuit, the doctors, Jay Sprong and Lisa Stephens, neglected to explain the risks of a vaginal birth after a previous Cesarean delivery (c-section).
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What Causes Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is one of the most commonly cited birth defects associated with acts of medical malpractice. Any error on the part of a doctor or another type of healthcare provider, such as a nurse or a hospital’s administration staff, can be considered an act of medical malpractice if another professional in the same position would not reasonably have taken the same action, and the unreasonable action resulted in a victim’s injury, worsened condition, or premature death.
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The Many Side Effects of SSRI Therapy

Many risks of anti-depressants are relatively well-known and publicized. One of the most common side effects of anti-depressants occurs when expectant mothers take them. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor antidepressants (SSRIs) have a very high risk of resulting in birth defects in a newborn, reports the National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institute for Health (NIH).
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Antidepressant Paxil Linked to Birth Defects

When the antidepressant drug Paxil hit the consumer market in the early 1990s, it was hailed by the medical world as a wonder drug, able to relieve even the most severe cases of mental depression. Like most other antidepressants, Paxil is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). There have been widely-publicized side effects about SSRIs for the patient who takes them. However, not as much has been published about the effects SSRIs can have on babies born to women who are taking them.
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Hyperthyroid Drugs Cause Birth Defects

A report first published last October by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health found that medication taken to treat hyperthyroidism in pregnant women led to birth defects. The report was based on a study which examined more than 815,000 children born between 1996 and 2008. Those who were exposed to hyperthyroid medication early in the pregnancy were more likely to experience birth defects.
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The Dangerous Link: Antidepressants and Birth Defects

Around the world, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (often called SSRIs) are some of the most commonly prescribed depression medications. In the United States, one of the most popular SSRIs given to patients with depression is Zoloft, which has been linked to dangerous birth defects when taken by pregnant mothers. A new study from the British Medical Journal is the latest authority to lend credence to the risks posed by antidepressants.
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iPledge Program for Pregnancy & Birth Defect Prevention Lacking

Isotretinoin, also known as Accutane and one of the most effective medications for acne, is reported to cause severe birth defects to an exposed fetus. Because of this, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration created the computer-based risk management program iPledge, requiring women to review educational materials, complete tests and pledge to use two forms of birth control prior to using the drug.
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Morning Sickness Drug Returns

Recently, the FDA has approved the return of a prescription medicine used to treat morning sickness during pregnancy that was taken off the market about 30 years ago after leading to hundreds of lawsuits that claimed it led to birth defects.
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  • Newland & Newland LLP, Attorneys, Arlington Heights, IL
  • Lawyer.com