• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Birth Injury Lawyers Alliance

Just another WordPress site

Contact a Birth Injury Lawyer
For a Free Consultation
TOLL FREE: 1-800-300-BILA (2452)
  • Home
  • Birth Injuries
    • Cerebral Palsy Lawyers
      • Early Signs of CP in New Born Babies
      • Cerebral Palsy Lawsuits and Settlements
    • Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
      • Long Term Effects of Birth Asphyxia
      • Signs and Symptoms of HIE
      • Therapy and Treatments for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
      • Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Lawsuits
      • Long-Term Effects of HIE
    • Jaundice, Kernicterus & Hyperbilirubinemia
    • Hypoglycemia in Babies
    • Shoulder Dystocia Complications
    • Failure to Progress During Labour and Delivery
    • Negligence in Antenatal (Prenatal) Care
    • Other Birth Injuries
  • Legal Team
    • Alliance Lawyers
    • In the Community
    • How to Become Involved
    • Office Locations
      • British Columbia
      • Edmonton
      • Manitoba
      • Ontario
      • Nova Scotia
  • Lawsuits
  • Case Results
  • FAQ
  • Support
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Birth Injuries
    • Cerebral Palsy Lawyers
      • Early Signs of CP in New Born Babies
      • Cerebral Palsy Lawsuits and Settlements
    • Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
      • Long Term Effects of Birth Asphyxia
      • Signs and Symptoms of HIE
      • Therapy and Treatments for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
      • Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Lawsuits
      • Long-Term Effects of HIE
    • Jaundice, Kernicterus & Hyperbilirubinemia
    • Hypoglycemia in Babies
    • Shoulder Dystocia Complications
    • Failure to Progress During Labour and Delivery
    • Negligence in Antenatal (Prenatal) Care
    • Other Birth Injuries
  • Legal Team
    • Alliance Lawyers
    • In the Community
    • How to Become Involved
    • Office Locations
      • British Columbia
      • Edmonton
      • Manitoba
      • Ontario
      • Nova Scotia
  • Lawsuits
  • Case Results
  • FAQ
  • Support
  • Blog
  • Contact
Call
Contact
Blog
Home / Types of Birth Injuries / Negligent Resuscitation of a Newborn

Negligent Resuscitation of a Newborn

Despite the fact that there have been very clear guidelines published by the Canadian Pediatric Society under its neonatal resuscitation program, there are still instances where newborns requiring resuscitation suffer a brain injury simply because these guidelines were not followed. The simple fact is that every person who chooses to deliver babies and every hospital offering obstetrical services must ensure that the appropriate resuscitation equipment is available at the time of delivery and that qualified individuals competent in newborn resuscitation are readily available. Instances of negligent resuscitation have occurred with home birth deliveries managed by midwives where there was a failure to have the appropriate equipment available, and a failure to follow the guidelines for resuscitation. This issue has also come up in the context of deliveries at rural hospitals were appropriately trained staff are not available for the resuscitation and even in large urban hospitals where the paging system malfunctioned.

The neonatal resuscitation guideline can be found in the Neonatal Resuscitation textbook published by the Canadian Pediatric Society, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association. The original guidelines were published approximately thirty years ago and, while there have been revisions to those guidelines, the basic principles have remained constant.

The Golden Minute

The first 60 seconds of life, often referred to as the “Golden Minute” is the time when the newborn baby should be stabilized through the provision of warmth, clearing of the airway if required, drying, stimulating and ventilating if necessary. Ventilation is usually by a mask placed over the newborn’s face. The mask is attached to a machine or bag. The clearing of the airway by suction is usually reserved for babies with obvious obstruction to spontaneous breathing or who require ventilation.

If the baby passed meconium prior to being delivered the person performing the resuscitation may suction the baby’s throat to remove the meconium if the baby is not vigorous. For babies born in the presence of meconium who are vigorous at birth suctioning is not an absolute requirement. The ventilation, sometimes referred to as positive pressure, is usually with room air however there can be an adjustment to the oxygen concentration if the baby’s heart rate is low. One of the signs of successful resuscitation is a prompt improvement in the newborn’s heart rate. If there is not an immediate improvement in the heart rate with the mask ventilation, the person performing the resuscitation should consider intubation and possibly further suctioning or chest compressions. The person performing the resuscitation must be trained and proficient in intubation and must be able to establish the proper position of the intubation tube. It is not uncommon for the intubation tube to go into the esophagus and not the baby’s trachea.

In any situation where a baby is born in a compromised condition, there should be a review of the medical records to determine whether the healthcare professional in charge of the newborn baby had access to all necessary resuscitative equipment and performed the resuscitation in compliance with the existing guidelines.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Susanne Raab
Susanne Raab is a lawyer at Pacific Medical Law, and an advocate for people living with disabilities. She has been selected for inclusion by her peers in Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of Medical Negligence and is recognized as a leading practitioner in the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory in medical malpractice. Susanne is also a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an honorary trial lawyer society whose membership is limited to less than one-half of one percent of North American lawyers, judges and scholars.

  • Linkedin

Latest posts by Susanne Raab (see all)
  • Financial Assistance for NICU Stay - June 2, 2022
  • Most Common Signs of Fetal Distress in Babies - February 1, 2022
  • Inducing Labor a Little Early May Lead to Safer Childbirth - August 25, 2020

Primary Sidebar

Take the First Steps Towards Peace of Mind

Talking with an experienced birth injury attorney about your child is a great first step in obtaining peace of mind. Consultations with our team of lawyers are always free and always confidential.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Practice Areas

  • Cerebral Palsy Lawyers
  • Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
  • Jaundice, Kernicterus & Hyperbilirubinemia
  • Autism Caused by Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
  • Hypoglycemia in Babies
  • Brachial Plexus Injury Lawyer
  • Delayed Diagnosis of Heart Defects
  • Brachial Plexus & Erb’s Palsy Injury
  • Failure to Diagnose or Treat Preeclampsia
  • Fetal & Neonatal Stroke
  • Negligent Resuscitation of a Newborn
  • Meconium Aspiration Syndrome Lawyer
  • Newborn Infections
  • Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL)
  • Trauma from Forceps & Vacuum
  • HIE Whole Body Cooling Treatment for Babies
  • Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome

Footer

Quick Links

  • Types of Birth Injuries
  • Legal Team
  • Case Results
  • Lawsuits
  • FAQ
  • Cerebral Palsy Support and Resources in Canada
  • Blog
  • Contact a BILA Lawyer

Canada Birth Injury Lawyers

TOLL FREE: 1-800-300-BILA (2452)

Sign-up And Get Notified Every Time We Post!

Loading

Copyright © 2023. Birth Injury Lawyers Alliance of Canada. All Rights Reserved.

Site Map|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use