10 Facts About Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy occurs when the fetal brain does receive enough oxygen. Often referred
to as “HIE,” Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy can lead to permanent
brain damage,
cerebral palsy, and death. Common factors that cause HIE include umbilical cord entanglement
or prolapse, placental abruption and excessive uterine stimulation. To
better understand the condition, we’ve listed

10 Facts About Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy:

1. HIE affects an average of 3-5 newborns out of every 1,000 live births.
   ^[1]
2. Of the 70-80% of cases of cerebral palsy caused by antepartum injury, an
   average 20% of cases occur because of birth asphyxia.
   ^[2]
3. Whole body hypothermia is one of the methods used to treat infants suffering
   from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.
   ^[3]
4. Up to 60% of babies affected by HIE die within the newborn stage.
   ^[4]
5. Of the babies who survive HIE, 25% of them sustain long-term neurological
   impairments.^[5]
6. HIE is a specific case of neonatal encephalopathy (NE). Not all NE cases are HIE.
   ^[6]
7. The presence of stool in the amniotic fluid (meconium) can be associated
   with intrapartum stress but it alone does not prove that HIE was caused
   by events during labor or delivery.
   ^[7]
8. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy primarily affects the deep gray matter
   of a baby’s brain when there is profound, near total asphyxia. Intermittent
   periods of partial asphyxia can cause damage to the cortical, white matter areas.
   ^[8]
9. The types of cerebral palsy that is associated with an event that occurred
   during labor or delivery typically effect all four limbs (spastic quadriplegia
   or Dyskinetic cerebral palsy). Other types of cerebral palsy are less
   likely to be associated with medical negligence.^[9]
10. Babies injured from HIE during the birth process are profoundly depressed
    at birth with very low APGAR scores at 1, 5 and 10 minutes. Children who
    first develop or display cognitive or physical deficits as toddlers or
    in early childhood were not the victims of HIE caused by
    medical malpractice.^[10]

Doctors, obstetricians, and midwives have a responsibility to practice
according to the accepted standard of care when managing labor and delivery.
This means that they must monitor the tracings of electronic fetal heart
monitors for signs of fetal distress. If they fail to do so, the results
can be catastrophic. If your baby suffered hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
and sustained serious brain damage,
contact our
Houston birth injury attorneys for a free consultation.