Kernicterus Lawyers in Philadelphia

Kernicterus can cause severe brain damage to a newborn baby and result in long-term disabilities and even death. If your child was diagnosed with kernicterus, contact the dedicated Philadelphia neonatal injury attorneys at Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig.

Understanding Kernicterus

Kernicterus is a rare but serious disease that occurs when severe jaundice in a newborn infant goes undiagnosed and untreated. Many medical experts believe kernicterus is a ‘never event,’ meaning it is entirely preventable with quality and responsive medical care. Kernicterus can cause severe brain damage to a newborn baby and ultimately result in long-term disabilities and even death.

If your baby has kernicterus, you may have a medical malpractice claim against doctors, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners who failed to provide proper medical treatment. The malpractice claim is for the harm your child has suffered and for the lifetime cost of care and treatment for your child.

How Undiagnosed and Untreated Jaundice Leads to Kernicterus

Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin that commonly manifests during the first three to five days of an infant’s life. In fact, 60% of term newborns and nearly 80% of premature newborns will develop some level of jaundice without cause for concern.

Bilirubin Buildup

It is caused when the baby has too much of a pigment formed in the liver, called bilirubin, in his or her blood. Newborns cannot immediately process bilirubin, which causes the skin to yellow.

Untreated Hyperbilirubinemia

When too much bilirubin builds up in the child’s blood, this condition is known as hyperbilirubinemia. Hyperbilirubinemia, if left untreated, might result in the excess waste product traveling to the child’s brain. This causes brain cell death, often resulting in permanent sensory and cognitive disabilities, such as hearing loss and cerebral palsy.

Signs and Symptoms of Hyperbilirubinemia

Common signs that a newborn with jaundice is at risk for kernicterus include:

Yellowing of the skin in the first 24 hours after birth
Yellowing of the whites of the eyes
Lethargy (the baby is not alert, difficult to wake up, or can’t be kept awake)
Shrill, high-pitched cry
Weak, limp, or floppy appearance
Tendency to lie unnaturally in bed, with the body arching or bowing upward when lying on the back

Many times, jaundice will go away without treatment. Its commonality is why medical providers, such as NICU nurses, often delay critical care.

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Treating Severe Jaundice to Prevent Kernicterus

Kernicterus is preventable with quick and often non-invasive treatment.

Phototherapy

If jaundice is severe and treatment is required, the main treatment is to place the baby under special blue lights called ‘bili lights’ for several hours, or medical providers can wrap the baby in a ‘bili-blanket.’ This treatment is called phototherapy. It helps remove the bilirubin from the blood, which prevents kernicterus from developing.

Blood Transfusions

When a baby is severely jaundiced, doctors can also perform a blood transfusion to remove the extra bilirubin, referred to as an ‘exchange transfusion’. This quick and effective treatment can not only save a child’s life but also prevent the child from developing any complications from severe jaundice. However, delayed blood transfusions – even by a day – can result in serious disabilities requiring lifelong care.

At Feldman Shepherd, our dedicated Philadelphia kernicterus lawyers have recovered millions on behalf of a child severely injured by a negligently delayed blood transfusion.

Long-Term Medical Complications Caused by Kernicterus

Babies with kernicterus may suffer from long-term medical complications, including:

Athetoid cerebral palsy
Intellectual disabilities
Hearing loss or deafness
Problems with vision and teeth

Though some disabilities may improve with dedicated therapy, education, and assistive equipment, families struggle to cover the costs of this expensive care. Medical insurers often commonly deny children with kernicterus complications the quality lifetime care they need, providing instead the bare minimum benefits.

That’s why the compassionate neonatal injury attorneys at Feldman Shepherd fight tirelessly to obtain compensation from negligent doctors and hospital facilities to cover the lifetime costs of quality therapy and care for children suffering from kernicterus in Philadelphia and around the country.

Case Result for a Child Suffering from Kernicterus Complications

Our experienced medical malpractice attorneys work as a team with dedicated medical experts to get real results for infants and families impacted by jaundice and kernicterus. Our legal professionals recently obtained a record-breaking $20 million settlement for a child who developed cerebral palsy as a result of kernicterus after a necessary blood transfusion was critically delayed.

Despite being transferred to a specialty neonatal unit for monitoring and showing clear signs of hyperbilirubinemia and anemia (blood loss), medical staff did not perform the necessary emergency blood transfusion for another 40 hours – well after the child developed kernicterus and related complications.

Our neonatal injury litigators were able to show that the need for an immediate blood transfusion was so medically clear, the case settled without the need for a lengthy trial. This settlement now ensures the child’s family is able to obtain top-quality medical care and treatment for him throughout his formative years.

Kernicterus Trial Lawyers for Life’s Most Challenging Moments

The neonatal injury attorneys at Feldman Shepherd have a proven history of achieving record-breaking multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements throughout the U.S. We have successfully represented the families of children injured by medical mistakes that cause kernicterus and other neonatal and birth injuries in Philadelphia and around the nation. Our experienced kernicterus litigators understand the impact this preventable brain injury has on children and their families, and we are committed to providing compassionate, but resolute, legal representation that meets the special needs of our young clients and their families.

We might also provide these services without asking for any upfront legal fees or out-of-pocket costs, fronting all litigation expenses and only getting paid if we recover needed compensation for your child.

Call our kernicterus and jaundice injury attorneys to learn how we might help your family at (877) 595-9761 or contact us online.