Not only are our newborns precious, but they are vulnerable and susceptible to injury. This should be apparent without a prolonged medical school degree, yet some healthcare providers fail to appreciate the vulnerability of newborns. Some even fail to do so while the baby is still in the womb. Some type of such injury caused during the birthing process is a brachial plexus injury. There are four main types of brachial plexus injuries, but the worst is an avulsion. If a newborn has offered an avulsion brachial plexus injury, it is very likely due to Oregon medical malpractice and families should call our Bend & Portland medical malpractice lawyer to learn more.
The brachial plexus is a very important bundle of nerves. These nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system as they are not part of the brain or spinal cord, but come out of the cervical spine (neck) and extend to the shoulder, down the arm, and into the fingers. They start thicker near the neck and grow smaller as they get further from the spine and into the fingers.
The way that a brachial plexus is injured is due to pulling, yanking, twisting, or other separation or pressure on the arm against the body. Essentially, when the arm is pulled away or tugged away from the body, the nerves in the arm are also tugged and pulled. However, they are tugged and pulled from the point that they are originating from—the cervical spine. Some examples of when the nerves could be tugged and pulled include the following:
There are four main types of brachial plexus injuries caused by Oregon medical malpractice. These include a neuropraxia (stretched nerves), neuroma (stretched nerves with scar tissue forming), rupture (partial tear of the nerve), and an avulsion.
An avulsion is the most serious and most likely to be the result of Oregon medical malpractice. This is when the nerve is actually pulled from the cervical spine and spinal cord. It occurs when the force on the shoulder and arm is so great that the root of the nerve originating from the spinal cord is actually ripped away. This means that absolutely no signals can get from any part of the arm that is governed by the nerve. This means sensation or motor nerves, leaving that portion of the arm useless. If the entire bundle of brachial plexus nerves is torn, that entire arm could be shut off.
An avulsion injury is likely to be very serious and permanent, and it can result in very damaging injury. Victims who have suffered an avulsion injury very likely have an Oregon medical malpractice claim against the healthcare providers who may have caused the injury. Call our Portland medical malpractice lawyer to learn how we can help you and your loved one. We handle cases throughout Oregon, including anywhere in Central Oregon, Deschutes County, Redmond, Albany, Corvallis, The Dalles, Prineville, Sisters, Lake Oswego, Vancouver, Washington, Salem, Portland, Eugene, Gresham, Hillsboro, Medford, and any other city, including Bend, Oregon where our law office is located.
Please call Kuhlman Law, LLC by dialing (541) 385-1999 to learn what your rights to compensation you may have. You may also contact us using our easy and convenient “contact us” box at the bottom of our website. If we accept your case, we will conduct a thorough investigation to get you the answers you deserve, all for free. There is no risk, and you only pay us if we recover compensation for you.