Vacuum Extraction Injury Lawyer

If used incorrectly any of the instruments utilized in a vacuum extraction procedure have the potential to inflict extensive and possibly critical harm to the newborn. Because of this, vacuum extraction procedures are highly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which has even gone as far as to issue several health advisories regarding the use of this technique because of the severe injuries that can be caused by inexperienced or improperly trained medical staff. The skulls of newborns are soft and malleable, which under normal circumstances aid in passing the baby through the pelvis. However, this also creates the possibility of severe head and brain trauma if medical staff do not act with the necessary amount of care during a birth. Some of the complications that can result from vacuum extraction procedures include:

• Scalp and/or brain swelling/damage;
• Bruising, subgaleal hematoma (bleeding between the skull and scalp);
• Skull fractures and/or bone distortions;
• Intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding around or in the brain);
• Neonatal jaundice;
• Seizures;
• Strokes;
• Cerebral palsy;
• A variety of other injuries, all of which can lead to permanent medical issues, disabilities, or even death.

These injuries can be the result of incorrectly using the forceps and/or the suction cup of the vacuum extraction equipment in a variety of different ways. Commonly encountered examples often arise from the doctor twisting the forceps or pulling excessively hard, or the vacuum extraction procedure being ineffective but the doctor continuing with further attempts to utilize it. In these cases it is often far safer for both the mother and the baby for the doctor to instead deliver the baby through a caesarean section delivery.