Shoulder Dystocia

Birth Injury Lawyer: Shoulder Dystocia

Shoulder dystocia occurs in thousands of deliveries in the U.S. each year. It's a type of birth trauma that can cause permanent disability in the child.

Shoulder dystocia can happen when a baby's shoulder gets caught under the mother's pubic bone during delivery. The doctor must take quick action to avoid a birth trauma that will result in lifelong disability.

The most common complication of shoulder dystocia is a brachial plexus injury — permanent damage to the nerves in the baby's neck which control the hand and arm. An injury to the upper nerves of the brachial plexus can cause Erb's palsy. Injury to the lower nerves results in Klumpke's palsy.

There is a high risk of shoulder dystocia in deliveries that involve the use of forceps or vacuum and in cases involving protracted labor.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, shoulder dystocia can also cause:

• Fracture of the clavicle (collar bone)
• Fetal death
• Fetal hypoxia, with or without permanent neurological damage
• Fracture of the humerus, (upper arm bone)

The father of seven, Attorney Fink knows that no two deliveries are alike and that family doctors and obstetricians must be competent to handle this common complication.

If your child suffered shoulder dystocia as a result of obstetric malpractice, please contact attorney David E. Fink in Baltimore, Maryland, today for effective legal representation. The initial consultation is free. You will pay no up-front costs and no attorney's fees or expenses unless we win financial compensation for the damages.