Blog

The few minutes after the birth of a child are vital as they will determine if the baby will survive, if they were born healthy, and what doctors must do in order to save the baby’s life if something is catastrophically wrong. Checking on the baby’s vitals and reflexes periodically is therefore a great and accurate way of determining the overall health of the baby. In 1952, an underappreciated and frustrated female anesthesiologist named Dr. Virginia Apgar created a score which would better help other physicians determine the health of the baby just by observing a number of vitals. If the Apgar score is critically low, doctors can then take preemptive measures to save the life of the child or prevent complications from leading to conditions such as cerebral palsy. Failure to take down a child’s Apgar score can therefore lead to said complications, and it is essentially a sign of negligence and consequently, medical malpractice for which you have the right to sue for in order to compensate your child and help him or her live a normal life going forward.

Are you looking for a birth injury law firm? The experienced attorneys at McCready Law have dedicated their lives to helping the injured across the country, and we have over 90 YEARS of legal experience to prove this. Please give us a call NOW at (773) 825-3605 to learn more about your legal options for compensation. We work on contingency fee basis, and what this means is that we charge you NOTHING for the duration of your case, and only charge legal fees once the case has been successfully completed, and we’ve recovered compensation on your behalf. By filing a birth injury lawsuit, you’ll not only be able to recover money damages for a number of things, but you’ll also be able to seek justice for your child and ensure that this never happens again at the hospital where it did. Call (773) 825-3605 NOW to learn more. Serving all birth injury survivors countrywide.

Here are the medical factors that determine an Apgar score:

• Heart rate
• Grimace response
• Appearance
• Muscle tone and activity
• Pulse

Each factor is rated from 0 to 2, but all the factors are then added together in order to come up with a score whose maximum is 10. Apgar scores are taken just a minute after the birth of a child, and then five minutes later. Once they are added together, doctors have a good idea of the vitality of the child or if they need to intervene.

A low Apgar score of 1 to 3 is a sign that there is something crucially wrong with the child, and anything from 7 to 10 is a sign that the baby is normal, and that their vitals are working as they should.

Here are some of the things that may cause a low Apgar score

• Baby’s prematurity
• Prolonged delivery or labor
• The overuse of epidural or anesthesia on the mother
• Meconium or fluid in the child’s lungs causing oxygen deprivation
• A congenital condition which was not picked up during prenatal visits

Best Countrywide Birth Injury Attorneys – Call Us NOW!

If your baby was born with a low Apgar score, suspect negligence, and medical malpractice. Need help with filing an official legal claim? Please call (773) 825-3605 NOW for your FREE legal consultation. We look forward to helping you.