With all the recent talk about healthcare reform there have been more than a few references to tort reform and along with it, implications that people who sue for medical malpractice are greedy and just looking for a windfall.  The truth of the matter is legitimate cases of medical negligence often leave their victims with permanent injuries and a lifetime of suffering.  No monetary award can fix that.

There are reasons why the law allows people to sue doctors and medical facilities when they are harmed because of negligence.  Part of it is to punish the guilty parties and hopefully ensure that what happened to their victim doesn’t happen to someone else.  But the main reason medical malpractice victims sue is not to “get rich quick”.  It’s to receive enough compensation to be able to sustain their lives.

Think about a case in which a child suffers a birth injury which renders him brain damaged.  Or a patient who undergoes a surgery and ends up paralyzed because the surgeon made an error.  Or the woman who suffers a hospital infection which causes her to have to have her legs amputated in order to save her life.  The aftermath of these types of situations often involve hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses, not to mention loss of income, and the pain and suffering that go along with having suffered such an injury.

It’s important that we not lose sight of the real reason victims of medical malpractice sue: their right to be compensated for someone else’s error, which they must deal with for the rest of their lives.  Should the young mother of two who is now confined to a wheelchair because of a doctor’s mistake have to pay for her own lifelong medical expenses?  Likewise, who should be responsible to pay for the physical therapy and medical treatments of the baby who has cerebral palsy due to a birth injury?  Her parents?  Or the doctor who was responsible?

Next time you read an editorial piece implying that medical malpractice lawsuits are “frivolous”, remember that those who sue for medical errors are victims, and that it could happen to any one of us.  And, of course, if you happen to a victim yourself, exercise your legal rights and contact a medical lawyer today.

Jaundice is a common condition in infants, affecting about 60 percent of all newborns. Though a usually benign condition, severe cases of jaundice can lead to kernicterus which, in turn, can cause brain damage and cerebral palsy.

Doctors and nurses have long relied on visual exams to determine the extent of an infant’s jaundice. This has been the case because babies with jaundice tend to have a yellowish appearance, which stems from heightened levels of a blood byproduct known as bilirubin.

However, a new study published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition showed that visual exams are not adequate predictors of an infant’s risk of developing hyperbilirubinemia.

“Our study tells clinicians that our ability to estimate a baby’s bilirubin level or predict the baby’s risk of developing clinically significant hyperbilirubinemia by visually observing the extent of visual jaundice is inadequate and not very helpful,” said Dr. Ron Keren, leader of the study.

The alternative to visual assessment of jaundice is universal bilirubin screening, which can determine the risk to an infant regardless of yellow appearance.

If your child suffered from severe jaundice after birth and now has cerebral palsy symptoms, you may wish to have your circumstances evaluated by a medical/legal expert. Jaundice is a treatable condition and should never be allowed to progress to the point where it causes brain damage.

The Hope Center for Neurological Disorders has received a $10 million gift from the Danforth Foundation for research into the diagnosis and treatment of cerebral palsy and other conditions caused by injury to the brain and/or central nervous system.

About Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a group of neurological disorders that impairs movement and is caused by damage to the brain, usually before birth. However, what causes damage to the brain during this time is largely unknown. In some cases, damage can occur as a result of trauma during or shortly after delivery.

The condition is often diagnosed in early childhood, when symptoms begin to become more obvious. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but various treatments can help improve an individual’s quality of life.

Another $10M for Research
Other conditions the research funding will support include:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Stroke

The Hope Center was created in 2004 and represents a partnership between Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis and the public charity, Hope Happens. Over the next five years, the two organizations will raise another $10 million for the same research.